By SUZANNE DOWNING
March 26, 2026 – There are 67 days left before the filing deadline for Alaska governor, and something unusual is going on: Nearly everyone says they’re running, but almost no one is actually ready to run.
Eighteen people have indicated they’re candidates for governor. But under Alaska’s current election law, that particular filing doesn’t matter. Logging in a candidacy with the Alaska Public Offices Commission doesn’t fully qualify you if you haven’t filed a joint declaration of candidacy with the Division of Elections, which includes a lieutenant governor running mate, and it must be done by 5 pm Alaska time on June 1.
So far, only two campaigns appear to have actual running mates: Bernadette Wilson (Mike Shower) and Dave Bronson (Josh Church).
Everyone else, even the stragglers who struggle to find a lane and are filing now in late March (Gregg Brelsford) or those planning to do so in April (Lesil McGuire), won’t technically be in the race.
This requirement is a direct result of Ballot Measure 2, passed in 2020, which fundamentally changed how Alaska elects governors. Before that measure, candidates for governor ran separately from candidates for lieutenant governor. After the primary, nominees paired up.
Not anymore.
Now, candidates must run as a ticket from the beginning. Alaska law requires gubernatorial candidates to file jointly with their lieutenant governor running mate, and the deadline is strict. There is no grace period, nor is there a substitution provision before the primary.
This is the first major reality check for the history-making crowded field. It’s easy to say you’re running. It’s much harder to assemble a governing team. And it appears that at least 16 candidates are struggling to find that Plus One who can help their chances.
Choosing a running mate is critical. That person is a heartbeat away from the governor’s office. The lieutenant governor oversees elections, certifies results, and becomes governor if something happens to the top of the ticket. Campaigns typically look for geographic balance, ideological compatibility, experience, and someone who can withstand statewide scrutiny.
The vetting process takes time, and we’re down to the seeds and stems on the election calendar. No reasonable person would want to sign up to run on a ticket that at this stage has no chance of winning. With 18 candidates and counting, this primary ballot could be pages long.
There’s another wrinkle that campaigns are not necessarily aware of: Once the ticket is filed, it’s essentially locked in. If a running mate withdraws before the primary for health or other reasons, there is no clear statutory mechanism to replace them on the ballot. The gubernatorial candidate could be left running alone, a major political disadvantage and a legal gray area not addressed by that ballot measure that hatched this scheme.
After the primary, the law allows replacements before general election ballots are printed, but not before the primary.
That makes the selection even more important. Campaigns have to pick someone who must be able to stay on the ticket through the primary and who is willing to sacrifice time, talent, treasure, and opportunity costs for a long-shot run at higher office.
This is one more of the lousy consequences of 2020’s Ballot Measure 2: Creating a system that does not account for what really happens in life.
So right now, the race looks crowded. But in reality, there are only two gubernatorial candidates (and their running mates) who qualify for the ballot: Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson. For now, the rest seem to be searching for their partner in politics.
The clock is ticking. Some who are candidates today are people who someday will say they once ran for governor. And they got that out of their system.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of The Alaska Story and is a longtime Alaskan.
One thought on “Suzanne Downing: Clock is ticking, choice is slim for gubernatorial running mates”
Candidates without much of a plan to win but only to check of a bucket list item “they ran for Governor” is pretty revealing their Ego-centric personality. They don’t care anything about Alaska let alone the next generations who’ll be recovering. They just care about today’s generations what they think of them whom will be gone as a vapor and a new generation will replace all of us if Christ doesn’t return until after Boomers, GenX, GenY are passed leaving GenZ 70 year olds and GenAlpha 50 year olds and GenBeta 30 year olds whom all would not even remember any one who ran for 2026 gubnatorial race because they were just young adults, youth, or under five. But they will know who was the Governor and his mistakes that they are still reeling from in their old age