{"id":235,"date":"2026-05-30T04:14:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T04:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=235"},"modified":"2026-05-30T04:14:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T04:14:11","slug":"3-things-to-watch-as-alaskas-election-filing-deadline-approaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=235","title":{"rendered":"3 things to watch as Alaska\u2019s election filing deadline approaches"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Anybody hoping to throw their hat in the ring to be Alaska\u2019s next governor, senator, congressman or state legislator is running out of time. The deadline to file to run for office is 5 p.m. Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more 3 Denali climbers who fell near treacherous pass are dead, 1 rescued<\/a><\/p>\n

There are already 20 candidates running for governor and dozens more seeking other state and federal offices.<\/p>\n

Here are three things to watch as the deadline approaches.<\/p>\n

1. Late, surprise entrants<\/h3>\n

There have been a few surprise announcements in recent days. Former Gov. Bill Walker filed paperwork<\/u> Thursday and says he\u2019d \u201cmost likely\u201d join the race for governor.<\/p>\n

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan also has a new challenger: a Petersburg teacher who, in a fun twist, is also named Dan Sullivan<\/u>.<\/p>\n

And there was yet another entry into the governor\u2019s race Friday as former state legislator Lesil McGuire filed a letter of intent, bringing the field of candidates to 20. McGuire spent 16 years representing Anchorage in the House and Senate and in 2024 chaired the No on 2 campaign opposing the repeal of open primaries and ranked choice voting.<\/p>\n

In a phone interview, McGuire said she\u2019d like to build a better relationship between the Legislature and the governor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t approach leadership from a partisan point of view,\u201d she said. \u201cI approach it from a people point of view and a problems and solutions point of view.\u201d<\/p>\n

McGuire served as a Republican in the state Legislature, and she\u2019s still registered with the GOP. However, McGuire said she has concerns about the current direction of the party and hasn\u2019t decided whether to change her party affiliation before officially filing to run on Monday.<\/p>\n

McGuire does have a running mate, though: Elizabeth Rexford, registered as undeclared, who most recently worked as a legislative staffer for a Fairbanks Republican House member.<\/p>\n

2. Running mates<\/h3>\n

Before the 5 p.m. Monday deadline, gubernatorial candidates have to indicate who\u2019ll run alongside them for lieutenant governor.<\/p>\n

Finding someone to put their life on hold to run for a relatively low-profile office where the pay is about $140,000 a year is no small feat, said first-time Republican gubernatorial candidate and Anchorage podiatrist Matt Heilala.<\/p>\n

\u201cI heard it from probably three candidates that it would be a big pay cut for them to become a lieutenant governor here,\u201d Heilala said in an interview Friday.<\/p>\n

Heilala did eventually find a running mate in former Wasilla Republican Rep. Jesse Sumner. He filed paperwork to make that official on Friday, he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Spring whaling in Utqiagvik is off to a late start due to unusual ice conditions<\/a><\/p>\n

Heilala said he was looking for someone younger than him \u2014 30s or 40s \u2014 and said Sumner\u2019s experience in government and the construction industry is an asset.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have not known him long, but he’s a perfect fit,\u201d Heialala said.<\/p>\n

Several other candidates have also settled on running mates in recent days.<\/p>\n

Republican former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum picked Bob Craig, a former VA hospital front desk clerk who was later CEO of an Anchorage cardiology practice.<\/p>\n

In an interview, Crum said he would task Craig with leading a cost-cutting effort similar to Elon Musk\u2019s Department of Government Efficiency.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe’s a great guy when it comes to leadership skills, organization, and process, understanding government function, and that’s the key thing in a lieutenant governor,\u201d Crum said.<\/p>\n

And Democratic Anchorage Sen. Matt Claman picked Sarah Skeel, the chief administrator for Providence Alaska Medical Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cSarah Skeel is just a very bright, talented, capable woman with really strong and vast experience in the healthcare field,\u201d Claman said. \u201cI\u2019m really pleased to have her part of the team\u201d<\/p>\n

Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, a Republican, named Talkeeta physician George Hightower as her would-be No. 2.<\/p>\n

Activist Meda DeWitt, running as an independent, announced her pick for lieutenant governor as well: educator and Navy veteran Chris Steere. In a news release, DeWitt\u2019s campaign said it was the \u201cfirst all-Native ticket.\u201d DeWitt is Tlingit from Wrangell, and Steere, of Unalakleet, is I\u00f1upiaq.<\/p>\n

Democratic former state House Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins\u2019 campaign said by email they\u2019re planning to announce his running mate on Monday.<\/p>\n

Even then, some prominent candidates do not have someone beside them on the ticket: notably Republicans Treg Taylor, the former attorney general, and sitting Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom. Taylor and Dahlstrom didn\u2019t return phone calls Friday.<\/p>\n

3. Attrition<\/h3>\n

Will all the candidates who\u2019ve announced a run actually make it to the August primary? Heilala, the Anchorage podiatrist, said he expects some candidates to drop out ahead of the 5 p.m. Monday deadline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure they were maybe thinking the same about me,\u201d Heilala said. \u201cI do still imagine at least three or four would maybe just let (their candidacy) expire, the ones that haven’t filed yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Alaskans seeking Sen. Sullivan, Rep. Begich stance on Trump compensation fund get silence<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People hoping to be the state\u2019s next governor, congressperson or state legislator have until 5 p.m. Monday to formally file to run. 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