And now there were seven.
Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes’ entrance into the race to be Alaska’s next governor brings the total number of candidates in the race to seven, all of whom are Republicans. To date, no Democrats or independents have filed to run for a seat that’s currently held by the term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and will be on the ballot in 2026
First elected to the Alaska House in 2012 in an uncontested race and to the Senate in 2016, Hughes has been one of the Legislature’s most reliably conservative members during her time in office. In 2021, as then-Senate Majority Leader, Hughes pushed for a ban on transgender girls from participating in female sports. The bill never passed, but it made for several tense hearings that served as platforms for anti-trans rhetoric.
She’s also been a strong proponent of homeschool and public charter programs, similarly championed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. While she and other conservatives argue the programs are important alternatives to poorly performing neighborhood schools, critics say they focus the state’s limited resources on families that have the means — either money or a stay-at-home parent — to take advantage of the programs.
At her campaign launch, she described herself as a “limited government gal” and hinted at cuts to balance the state’s budget.
Hughes joins an already crowded race that includes former state Sen. Click Bishop, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, Mat-Su Mayor Eddna Devries, conservative former radio personality Bernadette Wilson, podiatrist Matt Heilala and former teacher James Parkin. Other Republicans rumored to be considering a bid for governor include Attorney General Treg Taylor — who took the position after Dunleavy’s first two attorneys general resigned in disgrace — and soon-to-be-former Department of Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum.
On the Democratic side of the ticket, former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola has teased the possibility of joining the race for governor, though she’s also said to be considering a run for Congress.
1. Click Bishop
Pros: Moderate, labor-friendly Republican that Democrats could live with, meaning that he can capitalize on the political center of the state’s ranked-choice voting system. His running mate will be a particularly interesting signal of what kind of campaign he’s running.
Cons: Largely reviled by the Alaska Republican Party machine for being a moderate, labor-friendly Republican that Democrats can live with.
2. Shelley Hughes
Pros: A reliably far-right Republican who seems to put in the time and effort to be a far-right Republican. She’s usually pretty in touch with whatever the Republican issue-of-the-moment is, which lately has been anti-trans and pro-private school policies.
Cons: While she pays a lot of lip service to her willingness to work with other legislators, she’s a dyed-in-the-wool difficult-to-deal-with Republican.
3. Edna DeVries
Pros: Has won a bunch of races in Mat-Su and Palmer, and is reasonably well respected in conservative circles.
Cons: While the Mat-Su is an important voting bloc, it won’t carry you to statewide office. She’ll be 85 by the time she’s sworn in, which is a point that Republican media has seemed to fixate on following her filing, suggesting she’s not the establishment’s chosen one.
4. Bernadette Wilson
Pros: An ultra-MAGA mudslinger who understands that grievance and alternate facts go a long way in today’s modern political world.
Cons: Alaska’s modern political world also now votes with ranked-choice voting, so appealing to extremes doesn’t get the same mileage it used to.
5. Matt Heilala
Pros: Has the outward appearance of competence that comes with being a doctor while also being a key figure in the right’s freak-out over trans kids.
Cons: A key figure in the right’s freak-out-of-the-month over trans kids. Will that even be an issue in 2026?
6. James William Parkin IV
Pros: He is ostensibly a working-class-focused guy with his support for bigger PFDs, funded schools and public employee pensions.
Cons: In an academic sense, the problem is how you pay for it all. In a political sense, he’s too far out of line with the current Republican marching orders to garner the sort of support you’d need for a serious run.
7. Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom
Pros: Has been endorsed by Trump.
Cons: The decision to drop out of the 2024 U.S. House race (the one Trump endorsed her for) after a disappointing finish in the open primary, paving the way for U.S. Rep. Nick Begich to get into office, isn’t exactly a portrait of courage. She may be the ultimate team player, but no one’s picking her to be captain.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
