Meda DeWitt, who chaired the effort to recall Gov. Mike Dunleavy during his first term in office, is now the 17th candidate seeking the governor’s office.
DeWitt, who is Lingít (Tlingit), announced her entrance as an independent candidate on Monday, Elizabeth Peratrovich Day, joining a field that has drawn more than a dozen Republicans and a handful of independents and Democrats. In her announcement, she said she launched her campaign on Monday to commemorate the state’s civil rights leader.
“Elizabeth Peratrovich stood before the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1945 and reminded our state of who we are capable of being,” DeWitt said. “She spoke not only for Alaska Native people but also for the principle that no one should be treated as less than human. Today, I step forward in that same spirit — to build an Alaska where every person’s voice matters, where communities shape their own future, and where we govern with integrity and respect.”
DeWitt’s announcement says that, in addition to being a lifelong Alaskan, she’s an educator, traditional healer, and community organizer. She also served as chair of the effort to recall Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, which was launched after he proposed across-the-board deep cuts, including to K-12 schools and the University of Alaska. After facing several legal setbacks orchestrated by the Dunleavy administration, the recall had a strong start before the pandemic scuttled most of the signature-gathering efforts.
In her announcement, she said she wants to focus on an accountable government, investing in education and other quality-of-life measures, responsible stewardship of the state’s natural resoruces and forward-thinking investments in energy, workforce and infrastructure.
“Alaska is at a crossroads,” DeWitt said. “We can continue down a path of division and short-term thinking, or we can choose a future grounded in courage, cooperation, and responsibility to those who come after us. I am running for Governor because I believe in the strength of our people and the promise of this place.”
DeWitt joins a race that so far is headlined by Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Click Bishop and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich. The candidates will participate in an open primary where the top four finishers will advance to the general election regardless of political affiliation. The general election will then be conducted using ranked-choice voting, allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference to ensure the winner has the support of a majority of voters.