Former Republican state Sen. Click Bishop of Fairbanks and Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom are running for governor.
On Monday, Bishop filed a letter of intent with the Alaska Public Offices Commission, an act that signals his readiness to begin raising money for the 2026 election. Hours later, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom filed a similar letter of intent.
Incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy is term-limited and unable to run for reelection in 2026. Bishop was the first person to formally launch a campaign in next year’s governor’s race.
“I got bib No. 1 coming out of the starting chute,” Bishop said. “I just hope that we can maintain that through to the election.”
Dahlstrom did not answer a call on her listed number or immediately respond to a voicemail message seeking comment.
Dahlstrom, 67, has been Alaska’s lieutenant governor since replacing Kevin Meyer in 2022. A resident of Eagle River, she ran for Alaska’s lone U.S. House seat in 2024 but withdrew from that race after finishing third in the primary election. That decision helped consolidate Republican support behind the eventual winner, Republican Nick Begich.
Bishop, who served 11 years in the Alaska Senate, often as a member of a bipartisan coalition, declined to run for reelection in 2024. At the time, he said he was not done with public service, a comment that was widely interpreted to mean that Bishop was taking a break before running for statewide office.
“People have mentioned it over — about the last eight years, ‘Man, we think you’d make a great governor.’ And of course, your friends are going to tell you that, and they’re sincere. I don’t mean that in a flippant way. And, I got to thinking … (I’m) going to be 68 in July, and I think that if I’m going to do it, now is the time to do it,” he said.
Alaska’s next governor is likely to face immense challenges. The state’s budget is expected to be in deficit, and lawmakers are predicting that they will seek to tap the state’s main savings account next year, possibly leaving the incoming governor with few financial levers.
The state’s public schools are performing poorly by national testing standards, its population has plateaued for more than a decade, its violent crime rate is among the worst in the nation, and it has a large problem with homelessness.
In the Senate, Bishop governed as a moderate, willing to work across party lines while representing his district.
Asked if he governs like U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, he said, “I think that’s it. I don’t get mad and take all my toys home because I don’t get my way. I mean, you have to continue to work with people. … If somebody’s wanting an incendiary bomb-thrower, I’m not that person.”
While in the Senate, he proposed a per-person tax to benefit schools and an increase in the state’s lowest-in-the-nation gas tax. Neither proposal became law. He was able to create a statewide education lottery system based around the Permanent Fund dividend.
Monday’s filings are unusually early by historical standards. When Dunleavy applied for the 2018 governor’s race, he filed a letter of intent in July 2017. Ahead of the 2022 election, the three leading candidates all filed letters of intent in August 2021.
The 2026 governor’s race is expected to feature a crowded field of candidates. It will be the first time since 2002 that an incumbent governor is not on the ballot.
“I don’t know — you might see a dozen (candidates),” Bishop said when asked how many people he expects to enter the race.
Under Alaska’s election system, governor and lieutenant governor candidates run together, on a single ticket.
Bishop said he’s thought about some names for his lieutenant governor, but he isn’t ready to make a decision.
“I will not commit to anything as far as lieutenant governor at this point; we’re a long ways off, but we’ll see how it goes,” he said.
He added that a bellwether for his campaign will be his ability to raise money.
Alaska currently has no limit on the amount of money that an individual can donate to a political campaign. In the 2022 governor’s race, the top two candidates each reported raising more than $2 million. The third raised more than $1.5 million.
“I know a lot of little people and big people, but we’ll see,” he said. “We’ll give ‘er our best shot. Now we’re going to see who was serious about me running or not serious about me running.”
Bishop owns a small gold mine in Interior Alaska and when reached on Monday said he plans to spend the next week working there before fully launching his campaign.
“We’re going to mine this summer, but we’ve got strategic events — listening sessions — over the course of the summer, but they will ramp up after freezeup,” he said.
“I’m just looking forward to seeing and meeting with the people of Alaska to hear them.”
• James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. This article originally appeared online at alaskabeacon.com. Alaska Beacon, an affiliate of States Newsroom, is an independent, nonpartisan news organization focused on connecting Alaskans to their state government.
