Matt Heilala picks running mate: Jesse Sumner

By SUZANNE DOWNING

May 29, 2026 – Matt Heilala, one of a crowded field of candidates seeking the Alaska governor’s office, has selected former state Rep. Jesse Sumner of Wasilla as his running mate.

The announcement comes as candidates race toward the June 1 filing deadline, when gubernatorial candidates must identify a lieutenant governor running mate in order to remain on the ballot.

“Jesse builds real prosperity through work and results, and brings the young, new energy Alaska needs,” said Matt Heilala. “He has built homes, created jobs, served his community, and fought for fiscal responsibility. Together, we will reverse outmigration and restore an Alaska where our kids and grandkids proudly choose to stay.”

“I’m fired up to join Matt and help get this state moving again,” said Jesse Sumner. “Lowered expectations are driving Alaskans away. We must reverse that trend by getting people back to work with jobs that offer a hand up, not a handout, and delivering an education that genuinely prepares our children. Alaska can and should be a model for success and the destination of choice for the next generation.”

Sumner, a homebuilder and former legislator from the Mat-Su Valley, served one term in the Alaska House of Representatives from January 2023 through January 2025. He represented a Wasilla-area district and chaired the House Labor and Commerce Committee during his tenure.

Born in Palmer and raised in the Mat-Su Valley, Sumner earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, before returning to Alaska to join his family’s construction business. He is co-owner of Sumner Company Homes and previously served on the Wasilla Planning Commission and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly.

In 2024, Sumner finished first in his district’s nonpartisan primary election but withdrew from the general election campaign shortly afterward, citing a desire to spend more time with his family and frustration with legislative gridlock. Republican Elexie Moore ultimately won the seat.

Heilala’s selection of Sumner adds another completed ticket to an increasingly crowded governor’s race.

One interesting political wrinkle is that Sumner’s support for ranked-choice voting puts him somewhat at odds with many Republican primary voters, even as he joins a ticket headed by Heilala, who is trying to distinguish himself in an already crowded field. Heilala himself has signed a pledge with and donated to Repeal Now, the group seeking to repeal the odd voting scheme Alaska uses.

Sumner, on the other hand, donated and appeared in advertising for ranked-choice voting. He was the face of the campaign for a while. In 2024, Sumner’s name showed up on the ad disclosures that are part of the public files at radio stations. He and Bryan Schroder (law partner of the father of Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system Scott Kendall), as well as political strategist Art Hackney make up the Conservative Majority Fund, which is not registered with Alaska Public Offices Commission but which is clearly attempting to influence voters to defeat Ballot Measure 2. Sumner also wrote a column in favor of ranked-choice voting in 2024.

Heilala, a retired Anchorage podiatrist, is among what is currently a field of 20 candidates competing under Alaska’s open primary and ranked-choice voting system.

Other candidates who have filed or announced campaigns are:

• Businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, former Sen. Mike Shower
• Former Sen. Tom Begich, Julia Hnilicka
• Former Sen. Sen. Click Bishop, Greta Schuerch
• Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson, Josh Church
• Former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, Bob Craig
• Former Attorney General Treg Taylor
• Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom
• Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries
• Former state Sen. Shelley Hughes, Blake Gettys
• Sen. Matt Claman, Sarah Skeel
• Former Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins
• Angoon former teacher James Parkin
• Palmer resident Roger “Bruce” Walden
• Kasilof resident Jessica Faircloth
• Hank Kroll, Tommy Nicholson
• Community organizer Meda DeWitt
• Former Gov. Bill Walker, Randy Hoffbeck
• Former Sen. Lesil McGuire

Under Alaska’s election system, all candidates will compete in the Aug. 18 primary, with the top four vote-getters advancing to the general election regardless of party affiliation.