Latest news with #NancyDahlstrom
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, former state Sen. Click Bishop file to run for Alaska governor
May 5—JUNEAU — Just under 18 months out from next year's general election, two Republicans have filed to run for governor next year: Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and former Fairbanks Sen. Click Bishop. Bishop and Dahlstrom on Monday both filed letters of intent to run for Alaska governor in next year's general election. That filing allows Dahlstrom and Bishop to start making campaign expenditures and to fundraise. A letter of intent is the first step to formally announcing a candidacy for office. Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Alaska's 12th governor, is currently in his second term. The Alaska Constitution prohibits governors from holding office for a third consecutive term. Political observers expect a crowded field of candidates running to succeed Dunleavy. Bishop and Dahlstrom are the first people to file letters of intent for the 2026 gubernatorial election. Dahlstrom, 67, has served as Dunleavy's lieutenant governor since being elected in 2022. After receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump, Dahlstrom unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress last year, dropping out after the primary election. She previously served as commissioner for the Alaska Department of Corrections for three years in the Dunleavy administration. Dahlstrom did not immediately respond to an interview request on Monday evening. Bishop, a fellow Republican, served in the state Senate for 12 years starting in 2013. He represented a massive Interior district in the state Senate, and previously served as commissioner for the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development for more than five years under Republican Govs. Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell. Bishop, 67, announced in May last year that he would not run for reelection in the 2024 election. At the time, he strongly hinted that he would run for higher office. "If I was going to do it, now is the time to do it. That's why I left the Senate when I did," he said in a brief Monday interview. Bishop said that his priorities include reducing the cost of energy, education, fisheries, the Alaska Marine Highway System, public safety and improving the state's highway system. "We've got a lot of important issues," he said. Bishop said that he would soon start "a statewide listening tour." He said that he had worked across Alaska, and would visit communities across the state to make sure that "we're lining up with what people want." "A wise man seeks a large counsel," he added. Bishop said it was "way too early" to name a running mate. But he had been thinking about who could potentially be his lieutenant governor candidate. Bishop served in Republican caucuses, and most recently, in a bipartisan Senate majority. He said that one his "strengths" is working together with legislators across the political spectrum.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Republicans Nancy Dahlstrom and Click Bishop are first to file for 2026 Alaska governor's race
Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, at left, and former state Sen. Click Bishop, at right, have each filed letters of intent signaling they will run for governor in 2026. (Alaska Beacon file photos) 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.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska ranked choice voting repeal measure certified to collect signatures
Feb. 17—JUNEAU — Months after a similar effort narrowly failed to pass, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom on Friday certified another ballot initiative application to repeal ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska. Supporters can now start collecting signatures from registered voters. Initiative sponsors now have one year to gather more than 34,000 signatures from voters in three quarters of state House districts. If successful, the repeal initiative would appear on the ballot in 2026. Former Eagle River Republican Rep. Ken McCarty filed the repeal petition in December. He was joined by two prominent Alaska conservatives as sponsors: Bernadette Wilson, interim executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum, and Judy Eledge, president of the Anchorage Republican Women's Club. Alaska voters approved ranked choice voting and open primaries by a small margin through a ballot measure in 2020. The voting method has since been used in state and federal elections. Alaskans chose to retain the election system at the Nov. 5 election. A December recount confirmed that the repeal effort failed by just 743 votes. Supporters of ranked choice voting and open primaries have said the election system has led to more consensus candidates elected and more power for Alaska voters. "Our system works. We've seen it work. It gives every Alaskan voter a meaningful voice in shaping the future of our state," said Alliana Salanguit, deputy director of Alaskans for Better Elections — the main group advocating in favor of retaining the voting system. Proponents spent nearly $15 million this election cycle to oppose the repeal initiative. That was more than 100 times what supporters of the repeal effort spent promoting their cause. Philip Izon, a Wasilla resident, led the signature-gathering campaign for the defeated repeal effort. He filed a separate repeal initiative in December that has since been withdrawn. Opponents of ranked choice voting have said the election system confuses voters, and that a successful repeal would benefit Alaskans. "You get back to one-person, one-vote. It is transparent and it is timely, and it does not disenfranchise voters," said Wilson. McCarty's initiative would also strike down a provision in state law intended to combat "dark money" that was approved by voters in 2020. That provision has required greater financial disclosures by groups giving money to state candidates. In November, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge filed by conservative groups to Alaska's new campaign disclosure rules. Dahlstrom in October approved a separate ballot measure that would reimpose financial limits on political candidates and donors. The initiative is also set to be on the ballot in 2026. Legislators are currently debating a series of election reform measures that include new campaign contribution limits. If the Legislature passes "substantially similar" legislation to the ballot measures, they would be removed from the 2026 ballot.
