Seventeen candidates are running in the top-four primary for Governor of Alaska on August 18, 2026. Six candidates — Tom Begich (D), Click Bishop (R), David Bronson (R), Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins (D), Bill Walker (Nonpartisan), and Bernadette Wilson (R) — lead in polling and media attention.
Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) is term-limited. Alaska's last Democratic governor, Tony Knowles, left office in 2002. All 17 candidates — 12 Republicans, two Democrats, and three independents — will appear on a single ballot, and the top four advance to a ranked-choice voting general election.
Anchorage Daily News's Iris Samuels wrote, "Some Republicans also recognize that with so many in the race, the pool of would-be GOP votes will be divided among many contenders, potentially providing an advantage for moderates and Democrats." Wilson urged each Republican candidate to pledge to drop out if they were not the top GOP finisher, saying, "Winning this election for the future of Alaska and conservative values is vastly more important than any of us individually." Democratic support was consolidated around the two remaining Democrats — Begich and Kreiss-Tomkins — after state Sen. Matt Claman (D) exited the race just before the June 27 withdrawal deadline.
