Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D), David Bronson (R), Treg Taylor (R), Bernadette Wilson (R), and two other candidates are running in the general election for governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska on November 3, 2026. In Alaska, candidates for lieutenant governor run on a ticket with candidates for governor.

Incumbent Mike Dunleavy (R), first elected in 2018, is not running for re-election. As of November 1, 2026, Dunleavy had not endorsed a specific candidate but encouraged voters to rank all three Republicans.

As of November 2026, forecasters rated the general election Toss-up or Leans Democratic. In 2022, Dunleavy defeated Les Gara (D) and Bill Walker (I) 50.3%–24.2%–20.7%. In the 2024 presidential election, President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 54.5%–41.4%. The most recent Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska was Mary Peltola (D), who won election to the U.S. House in 2022.

In the top-four primary, Kreiss-Tomkins placed first with 22.5% of the vote, followed by Tom Begich (D) with 20.8%, Wilson with 10.0%, Bronson with 8.1%, and Taylor with 7.3%. Taylor advanced to the general election after Begich withdrew his candidacy. Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich received a combined 43.3% of the vote, 12 Republican candidates received a combined 51.8%, and two nonpartisan candidates received a combined 7.0%.

Kreiss-Tomkins is a small business owner. He served in the Alaska House from 2013 to 2023. Kreiss-Tomkins completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. In his survey response, Kreiss-Tomkins said, "Since I left the legislature three years ago, I've watched the same thing every Alaskan has: a governor whose administration has created a lot of hurt and harm for Alaskans. Prices keep rising. Schools keep closing. Roads and bridges are failing. Alaskans deserve better. I'm running for governor to bring change to our state, work across party lines, and get Alaska back on track." Kreiss-Tomkins' running mate is Zachary Johnson (Nonpartisan).

Bronson is a retired commercial airline pilot and U.S. Air Force veteran. He served as mayor of Anchorage from 2021 to 2024. In a statement to the Alaska Division of Elections, Bronson said, "Alaska’s best days are ahead of us, but they will not happen by accident. We will build them. We will grow this state again, restore opportunity, and create a stronger future for the next generation." Bronson's running mate is Josh Church (R).

Taylor is an attorney. He served as Alaska Attorney General from 2021 to 2025. Taylor completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. In his survey response, Taylor said, "I’m running for governor because I believe Alaska has far more potential than we’re living up to. We have the resources, people, and opportunity to build a stronger economy, improve education and public safety, and make Alaska a better place to raise a family. I want to bring people together, get government out of the way when it can, and focus on getting results for Alaskans." Taylor's running mate is Candi English (R).

Wilson is the founder and owner of a garbage hauling company. In a statement to the Alaska Division of Elections, Wilson said, "For decades, we've elected career politicians and bureaucrats. Are you any better off today than you were 10, 20, or 30 years ago? It's time to bring business experience back to the Governor's Office. I'm a political outsider, a business owner, who understands the struggles being felt across Alaska, because I've lived them." Wilson's running mate is Mike Shower (R).

The write-in candidates are James Parkin (R) and Meda DeWitt (Nonpartisan). Parkin's running mate is Ramadhani Greer (D) and DeWitt's is Christopher Steere (Nonpartisan).

The general election will use ranked-choice voting, a system in which voters rank the candidates on the ballot in preference order rather than voting for a single candidate. If no candidate wins a majority of the first-choice vote, the candidate who finished last is eliminated and their votes redistributed to their voters' next preference in order. The process continues until one candidate receives a majority of the vote.

The Anchorage Press' Nathaniel Herz wrote, "[P]olitical insiders say that they expect infighting among the Republican campaigns to cause a significant fraction of conservative voters to rank only their favorite candidate and not the others — meaning that some of the votes for the lower-placed Republicans may not help the top GOP candidate in a final tally against Kreiss-Tomkins."

The election could change Alaska's trifecta status. Neither party has a trifecta in Alaska. Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) is a Republican. Although Republicans hold numerical majorities in both the Alaska Senate and the Alaska House, both chambers are controlled by bipartisan coalitions. All 40 seats in the Alaska House and 10 of 20 seats in the Alaska Senate are up for election this year. If one party wins the gubernatorial election and majorities in both legislative chambers, that party will win a trifecta.

This is one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2026. There are currently 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2026.

Heading into the 2026 elections, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. There are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.