ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has chosen his corrections commissioner, Nancy Dahlstrom, as his running mate for this year’s gubernatorial election.
Dahlstrom, a Republican former state representative from Eagle River, filed her candidacy Monday alongside Dunleavy at the Anchorage office of the Division of Elections.
She has served as corrections commissioner since Dunleavy was elected in 2018. Dahlstrom was elected to the state House that same year, and resigned that position to take the job in Dunleavy’s administration.
In a statement, the Dunleavy administration said Dahlstrom would be replaced temporarily by Jen Winkelman, a longtime corrections department employee who previously served as director of pretrial, probation and parole.
Dahlstrom first served in the state House in 2003, a year after she narrowly lost a primary bid for the seat to Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski’s father, Gov. Frank Murkowski, then appointed her to the U.S. Senate and appointed Dahlstrom to replace his daughter in the House.
Dahlstrom served in the House until 2010, when she took a job as a military affairs adviser in Gov. Sean Parnell’s administration. But she stayed in the position for just a few weeks, stepping down after critics raised questions about whether her acceptance of the job complied with a provision in the Alaska Constitution that bars lawmakers from taking positions created while they are in office.
Dahlstrom aims to replace Kevin Meyer, a Republican former state senator who was elected with Dunleavy in 2018. Meyer announced in December that he would not seek reelection.
The lieutenant governor is largely a ceremonial post. But the office has authority over a few key areas, including the state elections division.
———
