Mike Dunleavy: Vote, plus five. Alaska’s future won’t protect itself

By GOV. MIKE DUNLEAVY

Oct. 20, 2026 – Early voting is underway in Alaska. We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us, and yet a very real possibility of throwing it away. Let’s not blow this.

The gasline. Our resource economy. Reliable energy. Jobs that allow our children to stay here. A federal government that finally recognizes Alaska’s importance to America’s economic and national security.

All of it needs something from us now: Show up and vote. Then call five friends and make sure they vote, too.

Vote, plus five.

Before you fill out your ballot, however, we need to talk about the governor’s race and the ranked-choice voting system we are still stuck with.

I want that system repealed. I will vote yes on Ballot Measure 2. But this election will be counted under the existing rules, and refusing to understand those rules could help elect a governor whose tax agenda Alaska simply cannot afford.

Democrats have already consolidated. Tom Begich suspended his campaign and endorsed Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, bringing the Democratic side together behind one candidate. Republicans have three candidates on the November ballot: Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson, and Treg Taylor.

That makes the instructions straightforward: Rank the three Republicans, 1-2-3, in your order of preference. Whatever your preferred order, understand this: Ranking another Republican second or third does not take anything away from your first choice.

Your ballot counts for your first choice while that candidate remains in the running. If that candidate is eliminated, your vote transfers to your highest-ranked remaining candidate. If that candidate is later eliminated, it can transfer again to your next remaining choice.

You still have one vote in each round.

If you rank only one candidate and that person is eliminated, your ballot has no remaining preference to count in that race. You have surrendered your opportunity to help decide among the candidates still standing.

Ranking all three Republicans cannot guarantee a conservative victory, but it does prevent your ballot from running out of Republican choices while one of them remains in contention.

You can find this system distasteful and still use your ballot effectively. I certainly do.

Our frustration should motivate us to repeal it, rather than leave part of our ballot blank.

And the consequences of this governor’s race reach directly into your pocketbook.

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has made additional taxes part of his agenda. His campaign platform calls for extending corporate income taxation to oil and gas producers such as Hilcorp, but also others. It also proposes mechanisms to tax nonresident-owned second and vacation homes, which he darkly calls “dark homes.”

He has supported updating corporate taxation for online commerce. He also called for revisiting oil production tax provisions, including per-barrel credits and the minimum tax, and said broad-based revenues should be part of a fiscal solution.

That tells voters that those broader revenue discussions remain on the table.

I take that seriously. You should, too.

Taxes on businesses can affect investment, hiring, and decisions about where the next dollar goes. Alaska competes for that investment. We need more production, more private employment, and more reasons for families to build their lives here.

My concern is that a Kreiss-Tomkins administration would put too much energy into extracting more revenue from the economy when we should be expanding it.

Look at the opportunities already taking shape:

• Port MacKenzie rail: The Alaska Railroad has been awarded $249 million in federal funding to complete the 32-mile rail connection between Port MacKenzie and the railroad’s main line near Houston. Senators Sullivan, Murkowski, and Congressman Begich supported the application, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy credited President Donald Trump and the delegation for advancing it. This is infrastructure that can help get Alaska’s resources to market.

• Alaska LNG: Trump has elevated our gasline into an international priority and announced a roughly $54 billion South Korean investment plan. The financing is still being finalized, but presidential attention and international negotiations give Alaska an opening we should work to turn into construction.

• An oil renaissance is taking place on the North Slope. We’ve just gone past 500,000 barrels for the first time in a while and will head close to 900,000 barrels in the next seven years.

• Railbelt electricity: The Department of Energy announced its intent to provide up to $150 million for the proposed Beluga-Healy transmission project, a second electrical connection between Southcentral Alaska and the Interior. Better transmission will improve reliability and help utilities manage costs.

• Critical minerals: Trump approved Alaska’s appeal seeking to revive the Ambler Road project and directed federal agencies to issue the necessary authorizations. Access matters. Alaska cannot develop mineral deposits that Washington keeps beyond reach.

• Arctic security: The Coast Guard funding package signed last year included $300 million for shoreside infrastructure supporting the icebreaker Storis in Juneau. The service is also considering Alaska for additional Arctic Security Cutters. These investments recognize that America’s northern frontier requires an actual presence.

• King Cove: The Trump Administration approved another land exchange intended to enable the community’s long-sought emergency road connection to Cold Bay. Litigation has blocked most of the route, but construction has advanced on the first 2.8 miles. The fight to finish the connection continues.

These projects are at different stages. We have laid a foundation. Now we need people who will keep building.

That is why I support returning Dan Sullivan to the Senate and Nick Begich to the House, and electing a Republican governor. Alaska needs leaders who will work with this administration to turn opportunity into jobs, dependable energy, and an economy our children can inherit.

We also need to end this recurring exercise in ballot strategy. So vote yes on Ballot Measure 2 to repeal ranked-choice general elections and restore party primaries. But remember: A yes vote on repeal doesn’t change how your candidate votes are counted this November. We’re stuck with it for this cycle.

Rank the three Republicans for governor. Then vote yes on 2.

Early and absentee in-person voting began Oct. 19, with locations and hours varying by community. Election Day is Nov. 3.

Do not leave this to someone else. After you vote, call five friends. Make sure they know where to go. Offer a ride. Encourage them to make a definite plan and follow through.

Vote like your bank account and your children’s future depend on it.

Because the decisions made in this election will reach both.

Vote, plus five.

Mike Dunleavy is the two-term governor of Alaska who will be handing over the reins in December.