Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

Elections in Alaska, 2022

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← 2018
Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
Top-four primary General election
Election details
Filing deadline: June 1, 2022
Primary: August 16, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 Pre-election incumbent(s): Gov. Mike Dunleavy (Republican) Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer (Republican)
How to vote
Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Alaska
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican Inside Elections: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2022 Impact of term limits in 2022 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022
Alaska executive elections
Governor Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) defeated Les Gara (D), Charlie Pierce (R), and Bill Walker (I) in the general election for governor of Alaska on November 8, 2022. The four candidates advanced from the top-four primary on August 16, 2022.

Dunleavy was first elected in 2018, succeeding Walker, who had served as governor since 2014. In that 2018 race, Walker withdrew in October and endorsed Democrat Mark Begich, saying, "Alaskans deserve a competitive race, and Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy." Gara served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 2003 to 2018. Pierce served as mayor of Kenai Peninsula Borough from 2017 to September 2022.

This was the first gubernatorial election in Alaska to use a top-four primary and ranked-choice voting for the general election, a system voters approved in 2020. To learn more about the election system, click here.

The Alaska Republican Party endorsed Dunleavy and Pierce. Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Dunleavy. The Alaska Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates backed Gara. Walker received endorsements from several Democratic state legislators and the state AFL-CIO. For more noteworthy endorsements, see below.

Permanent Fund dividends (PFD) were a major issue in the race. The state invests oil and gas revenues and distributes a portion of the investment earnings to residents annually. The statutory formula for calculating the dividend was last followed in 2015. Starting in 2016, a portion each year went toward funding government services. Click here and here to learn more about the PFD.

Dunleavy said he worked to guarantee the PFD in the state constitution and called for a 50-50 split between payments to residents and funds for government services.

Gara said Dunleavy changed his promises regarding the PFD. Gara said he sought to return to the statutory formula with revenue gained from ending what he called an "oil tax giveaway" while he was in the state House.

Pierce said he would restore the statutory funding formula.

Walker said Dunleavy had made unrealistic promises regarding the PFD. Walker said he would support "the largest dividend the state can afford but not at the expense of high taxes and weakened government services such as education and public safety."

On September 21, 2022, Gara and Walker each said they would rank one another as their second-choice candidates on their ballots in November.

At an October 11 debate, Pierce asked supporters to rank Dunleavy second on their ballots.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. As of 2022, Alaska had a divided government, with a Republican governor and Republican numerical majorities in both chambers of the legislature but a power-sharing agreement in the state House that split control between parties.

As of April 16, 2024, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

This was one of 36 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2022. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office that is elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2022 elections, there were 28 Republican governors and 22 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 36 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2022.

Les Gara (D) completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. To read those survey responses, click here.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

• Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022 (August 16 top-four primary)

Election news

This section includes a timeline of events leading up to the election.

• November 23, 2022: The Alaska Division of Elections released unofficial results showing Dunleavy winning 50.3% of the vote in the first round of ranked-choice voting, enough to win re-election outright. Nancy Dahlstrom was elected Lt. Governor.

• November 18, 2022: The Alaska Division of Elections released result tallies of voters' first-choice candidates as of 6 p.m. local time. Those results had Dunleavy with 50.3%, Gara with 24.2%, Walker with 20.7% and Pierce with 4.5%. According to the state division of elections, "Ranked Choice Voting results will not be available until November 23, 2022 once all eligible ballots are reviewed and counted."

• November 15, 2022: The Alaska Division of Elections released result tallies of voters' first-choice candidates as of 6 p.m. local time. Those results had Dunleavy with 51.0%, Gara with 23.8%, Walker with 20.4% and Pierce with 4.5%.

• November 10, 2022: The Alaska Division of Elections released result tallies of voters' first-choice candidates as of 2 p.m. local time. Those results had Dunleavy with 52.1%, Gara with 23.1%, Walker with 20.1% and Pierce with 4.6%.

• October 19, 2022: All four candidates participated in a debate hosted by Alaska Public Media, Alaska’s News Source, and KTOO.

• October 11, 2022: All four candidates participated in a Resource Development Council for Alaska debate.

• October 10, 2022: Updated campaign finance reports showed Walker led with $2 million raised to Dunleavy's $1.8 million. Gara raised $756,000 and Pierce, $145,000.

• Click to expand a timeline of earlier election updates
  • October 6, 2022: Gara, Pierce, and Walker participated in a Homer Chamber of Commerce debate.

  • October 3, 2022: Gara and Walker participated in a Kodiak Chamber of Commerce debate.

  • September 30, 2022: Alaska Survey Research conducted a ranked-choice voting poll showing Dunleavy with 53% to Gara's 47% on the third round of tabulations.

  • September 14, 2022: Gara and Walker participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Southeast Conference.

  • September 2, 2022: Dunleavy, Gara, and Walker participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

  • August 16, 2022: Dunleavy advanced to the general election with 40% of the primary vote, Gara and Walker with 23% each, and Pierce with 7%.

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Alaska

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Mike Dunleavy in round 1 .

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Mike Dunleavy	50.4	132,632	0	Won (1)
		Les Gara	24.3	63,851	0	1
		Bill Walker	20.8	54,668	0	1
		Charlie Pierce	4.5	11,817	0	1
		Bruce Walden (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.3	784	0

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,752
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Governor of Alaska

The following candidates ran in the primary for Governor of Alaska on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Dunleavy (R)	40.4	76,534
✔		Les Gara (D)	23.1	43,660
✔		Bill Walker (Independent)	22.8	43,111
✔		Charlie Pierce (R)	6.6	12,458
		Christopher Kurka (R)	3.9	7,307
		John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.9	1,702
		Bruce Walden (R)	0.9	1,661
		William Toien (L)	0.7	1,381
		David Haeg (R)	0.6	1,139
		William Nemec II (Independent)	0.2	347

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 189,300
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jim Cottrell (R)

Lieutenant Governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

The ranked-choice voting election was won by Nancy Dahlstrom in round 1 .

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Nancy Dahlstrom	50.4	132,632	0	Won (1)
		Jessica Cook	24.3	63,851	0	1
		Heidi Drygas	20.8	54,668	0	1
		Edie Grunwald	4.5	11,817	0	1
		Sherry Strizak (Write-in)	0.0	0	0	1
		Undeclared Write-insUndeclared write-in candidates may advance past the first round in some ranked-choice elections. If the official source reports write-in votes by candidate name, Ballotpedia displays them alongside the ballot-qualified candidates. However, if write-in votes are reported without a name, they will instead be included in the total write-in votes figure in Round 1. Please consult the official elections source for more details about unnamed write-in candidate vote totals past Round 1.	0.3	784	0

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 263,752
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

The following candidates ran in the primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska on August 16, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Nancy Dahlstrom (R)	40.4	76,534
✔		Jessica Cook (D)	23.1	43,660
✔		Heidi Drygas (Independent)	22.8	43,111
✔		Edie Grunwald (R)	6.6	12,458
		Paul Hueper (R)	3.9	7,307
		Shellie Wyatt (Alaskan Independence Party)	0.9	1,702
		Tanya Lange (R)	0.9	1,661
		Shirley Rainbolt (L)	0.7	1,381
		S. Waynette Coleman (R)	0.6	1,139
		Ronnie Ostrem (Independent)	0.2	347

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 189,300
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brittany Cottrell (Independent)

Candidate comparison

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Mike Dunleavy

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

• Governor of Alaska (Assumed office: 2018)
• Alaska State Senate (2013-2018)
• Mat-Su Borough School Board (2009-2012)

Biography:  Dunleavy received a B.A. in history from Misericordia University and an M.A. in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He worked as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Dunleavy also owned an educational consulting firm.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Dunleavy's campaign website said he "continues to battle those who believe the PFD [Permanent Fund dividend] should be used to fuel government in violation of Alaska’s laws." Dunleavy's campaign said Alaskans received the largest PFD in history in 2022.

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A Dunleavy ad said crime dropped in the state after Dunleavy "fought to repeal Bill Walker's disastrous catch-and-release bill, SB 91."

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Dunleavy said when announcing his re-election bid, "I think I’ve demonstrated some pretty positive leadership when Alaska has been dealt one of the toughest blows in its history with this virus and the economic fallout."

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Show sources

Sources: Mike Dunleavy's 2022 campaign website, "Home," accessed September 2, 2022; Facebook, "PSEA Endorsement," August 5, 2022; Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy will run for re-election in 2022," updated August 14, 2021; Facebook, "Mike Dunleavy on September 24, 2022," accessed October 10, 2022; Office of Governor Mike Dunleavy, "Meet Mike Dunleavy," accessed May 12, 2021; Alaska's News Source, "Governor - Mike Dunleavy," October 3, 2018

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Alaska in 2022.

Les Gara

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Alaska House of Representatives, District 20 (2003-2018)

Submitted Biography:  "When I was 6 my father was killed by an office intruder. I grew up in foster care, and learned regardless of a person's form of struggle, everyone deserves good schools, a living wage, equal opportunity and a good job. Everyone should have an equal opportunity to succeed, whether or not they are born with privilege or wealth. I served in the Legislature from 2003-2018, served as an Asst. Attorney General on the Exxon Valdez Civil Prosecution following the catastrophic Exxon Valdez oil spill, and have been married to my wife Kelly since 1990."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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All people have a right to opportunity and a better future.

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People deserve real opportunities for a good-paying job, and at least a living wage.

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People deserve good schools, and safe neighborhoods regardless of where they live.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Alaska in 2022.

Charlie Pierce

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Mayor of Kenai Peninsula Borough (2017-2022)
• Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly (2006-2012)

Biography:  Pierce attended Anchorage Community College, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska Pacific University. He worked as a divisions operations manager with ENSTAR Natural Gas Company for 26 years.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Pierce said, "When elected I will work with all legislators and the Attorney General to restore the statutory PFD formula, while at the same time structuring state government...to be more responsive and less cumbersome." 

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A Pierce campaign ad said, "You say the current administration got you down? You say being last in education and first in crime is depressing? ... A Pierce administration will get results. Better education for our children, lower crime rates, and a great Alaska business climate are just the beginning." 

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Pierce said his administration would put Alaskans first regardless of their party affiliation and that his campaign motto was "Results not Rhetoric." 

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Show sources

Sources: DocumentCloud, "Charlie Pierce for Governor Press Release," accessed September 2, 2022; Facebook, "Our Alaskan Philosopher talks about Charlie Pierce," July 14, 2022; Charlie Pierce's 2022 campaign website, "Issues," accessed September 2, 2022; Peninsula Clarion, "Pierce hits the ground running as mayor," December 27, 2017; Charlie Pierce's 2022 campaign website, "About," accessed September 2, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Alaska in 2022.

Bill Walker

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

• Governor of Alaska (2014-2018)
• Mayor of Valdez (1979-1980)
• Valdez City Council (1977-1979)

Biography:  Walker received a bachelor's in business administration from Lewis and Clark College and a J.D. from the University of Puget Sound. Walker worked on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and co-founded a law firm with his wife specializing in municipal, oil, and gas law.

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Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

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Walker said his record as governor included reducing "the state’s dependence on dwindling oil tax revenue from 90% to 30%, significantly reducing a multi-billion-dollar budget deficit" and expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act via executive action. 

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Walker said he was running to restore trust. Walker said Dunleavy promised to deliver larger PFDs than were possible and harmed state universities with budget cuts.

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Walker said he and running mate Heidi Drygas were running to represent all Alaskans "whether we are their first choice or not. ... As a unity ticket that is setting aside our respective partisan roots, we are the only team with the ability to win support from voters who want common sense solutions and leadership."

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Show sources

Sources: Bill Walker's 2022 campaign website, "About Bill Walker," accessed September 1, 2022; Alaska Public Media, "CANDIDATE Q&A: Governor — Bill Walker," August 10, 2022; Bill Walker's 2022 campaign website, "Walker Drygas earns a spot in the final four, advances to general election ballot," accessed September 2, 2022; Anchorage Daily News, "OPINION: Alaska needs a governor with integrity," updated October 7, 2022; Facebook, "Walker Drygas - Videos," accessed September 2, 2022; Bill Walker's 2022 campaign website, "About Bill Walker," accessed September 1, 2022; National Governors Association, "Alaska Gov. Bill Walker," accessed September 1, 2022

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Alaska in 2022.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Les Gara (D)

All people have a right to opportunity and a better future.

People deserve real opportunities for a good-paying job, and at least a living wage.

People deserve good schools, and safe neighborhoods regardless of where they live.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Les Gara (D)

My core values say people have a right to opportunity, good schools, and the fair chance at a good-paying job. Good schools, good job training, and a good University are needed to give people a fair chance to succeed in life. Children deserve schools that let them reach their potential, and elders deserve to be treated with dignity. People deserve opportunity and dignity regardless of whether their wealth.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Les Gara (D)

Martin Luther King, Jr. I'll never truly be able to follow his example, but he saw injustice, and acted. He saw unfairness that he could solve, and acted. He saw lives he could improve and acted. I'm inspired by his life of service, believe in leading a life of service to others, but can't ever match what he did in life.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Les Gara (D)

Good leaders should always look for ways to improve the lives of others, improve opportunity and success in life, and improve the state so we have an economy that creates more success for more people.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Les Gara (D)

I believe in working hard to achieve results, and in moving forward to clear obstacles instead of giving up in the face of them. As someone who grew up in faster care, I treat people with the understanding that I don't know what hardships they've faced, and that all deserve the right to be treated with respect, regardless of whether they are wealthy or powerful.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Les Gara (D)

Among them was losing my father to a killer who broke into his office when I was six.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Les Gara (D)

I began delivering papers at roughly age 12, and worked my way through middle school, high school, college and law school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Les Gara (D)

Grapes of Wrath. It reminds us that people are always trying to clear their own hurdles, and that we have a duty to provide equal, real opportunities to all.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

Les Gara (D)

A Governor should lead in a way that improves people's lives. That means listening, and working hard to find ways to improve things for people.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

Les Gara (D)

A good Governor takes on the responsibility of improving lives and opportunity for all, regardless of whether someone is wealthy or not. In a diverse state, a Governor has a duty to strive for liberty and justice for all, and to make sure people have equqal rights.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

Les Gara (D)

In Alaska the Governor introduces the budget. I believe in smart budgeting, making sure a budget reflects our values, and that it provides for opportunity, success and a strong economy.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

Les Gara (D)

I would use my on wasteful spending, but not on things that improve lives, opportunity and dignity. I would veto divisive, political language from a budget when it serves that serves no positive purpose.

If the governor's office in your state does not have the line-item veto power, do you believe it should? Why or why not?

Les Gara (D)

N/A

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Les Gara (D)

A good governor works across party lines, should look for ways to build positive relationships with legislators, all with the goal of moving the sate forward.

What do you love most about your state?

Les Gara (D)

I believe Alaska is a state of great diversity, great potential, and one where people care about looking out for each other.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Les Gara (D)

Alaska has lost thousands of jobs, let the fibers keep our communities together fray, and needlessly, let school support fall $120 million behind inflation, damaging opportunity and hope. We need a fair share for our oil so we have revenue to afford to move this state forward again. We need to restore construction and infrastructure jobs, education jobs, and those wages then help private businesses as they are spent in our communities.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

Les Gara (D)

Most recently they should have been used to protect overcrowded hospitals that could not take in patients who, in some cases, died. This Governor failed to use those powers in a timely basis to protect people during the Fall, 2021 COVID surge.

Campaign advertisements

This section includes a selection of up to three campaign advertisements per candidate released in this race, as well as links to candidates' YouTube, Vimeo, and/or Facebook video pages. If you are aware of other links that should be included, please email us.

Mike Dunleavy

Have a link to Dunleavy's campaign ads on YouTube? Email us.

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Les Gara

October 7, 2022

October 7, 2022

July 19, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Charlie Pierce

August 2, 2022

August 2, 2022

August 2, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Bill Walker

Ocober 1, 2022

September 22, 2022

View more ads here:

• YouTube
• Facebook

Debates and forums

This section includes links to debates, forums, and other similar events where multiple candidates in this race participated. If you are aware of any debates or forums that should be included, please email us.

October 19, 2022

All four candidates participated in a debate hosted by Alaska Public Media, Alaska’s News Source, and KTOO.

• Click here to listen to a recording of the event

October 11, 2022

All four candidates participated in a Resource Development Council for Alaska debate.

• Click here to listen to a recording of the event

October 6, 2022

The Homer Chamber of Commerce hosted a debate. Gara, Pierce, and Walker participated.

• Click here to listen to a recording of the event

October 3, 2022

Gara and Walker participated in a Kodiak Chamber of Commerce debate.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

September 14, 2022

Gara and Walker participated in a forum hosted by the Southeast Conference.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

September 2, 2022

Dunleavy, Gara, and Walker participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association.

• Click here to watch a recording of the event

Voting information

See also: Voting in Alaska

Election information in Alaska: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 9, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 9, 2022
• Online: Oct. 9, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: Oct. 29, 2022
• By mail: Received by Oct. 29, 2022
• Online: Oct. 29, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
• By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 24, 2022 to Nov. 7, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Election competitiveness

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

Polls are conducted with a variety of methodologies and have margins of error or credibility intervals. The Pew Research Center wrote, "A margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level means that if we fielded the same survey 100 times, we would expect the result to be within 3 percentage points of the true population value 95 of those times." For tips on reading polls from FiveThirtyEight, click here. For tips from Pew, click here.

Below we provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. Click here to read about FiveThirtyEight's criteria for including polls in its aggregation. We only report polls for which we can find a margin of error or credibility interval.

RCV simulation polls

The following poll asked respondents to rank their choices. The pollster then ran ranked-choice voting simulations based on responses.

Alaska Survey Research poll (Sept. 25-27, 2022)
Candidate	1st round	2nd round	3rd round
Dunleavy/Dahlstrom (R)	43	48	53
Gara/Cook (D)	28	29	47
Walker/Drygas (I)	21	23
Pierce/Grunwald (R)	7
• Poll link • Respondents: 1,282 LV • MOE: +/- 3.0

Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from three outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, and Sabato's Crystal Ball. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Alaska gubernatorial election, 2022
Race tracker	Race ratings
	November 8, 2022	November 1, 2022	October 25, 2022	October 18, 2022
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

• Charlie Pierce
• Bill Walker

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorser	Mike Dunleavy	Les Gara	Charlie Pierce	Bill Walker
Government officials
State Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson (D)  source		✔
State Sen. Lora Reinbold (R)  source			✔
State Rep. Grier Hopkins (D)  source				✔
State Rep. Andrew Josephson (D)  source				✔
State Rep. Daniel Ortiz  source				✔
State Rep. Liz Snyder (D)  source				✔
State Rep. Ivy Spohnholz (D)  source				✔
State Rep. Adam Wool (D)  source				✔
Individuals
Frmr. Gov. Tony Knowles  source		✔
Frmr. President Donald Trump  source	✔
Organizations
Alaska AFL-CIO  source				✔
Alaska National Education Association  source 1 source 2		✔		✔
ASEA PAC  source 1 source 2		✔		✔
Democratic Party of Alaska  source		✔
National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund  source	✔
Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates  source		✔
Public Safety Employees Association  source	✔
Republican Party of Alaska  source 1 source 2	✔		✔

Note: The Alaska National Education Association gave Bill Walker its "Rank 1" endorsement and Les Gara its "Rank 2" endorsement.

Election spending

Campaign finance

This section contains campaign finance figures from candidates submitted to the Alaska Public Offices Commission in this election. It does not include information on spending by satellite groups. Click here to access the reports.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.

If available, satellite spending reports by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and OpenSecrets.org are linked below. FEC links include totals from monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual reports. OpenSecrets.org compiles data from those reports as well as 24- and 48-hour reports from the FEC.

Details about satellite spending of significant amounts and/or reported by media are included below those links. The amounts listed may not represent the total satellite spending in the election. To notify us of additional satellite spending, email us.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission compiles independent expenditure information. Click here for the searchable database.

• A Stronger Alaska had spent $91,905 supporting Mike Dunleavy as of September 2, 2022.

• Putting Alaskans First Committee spent $156,000 opposing Mike Dunleavy as of October 12, 2022.

Noteworthy events

Lieutenant governor candidate withdraws

On October 25, 2022, lieutenant governor candidate Edie Grunwald (R) announced she was withdrawing from the race after her running mate—gubernatorial candidate Charlie Pierce (R)—was named as a defendant in a lawsuit that alleged that Pierce sexually harassed a Kenai Peninsula Borough employee in 2021 and 2022 when Pierce was mayor. Grunwald's statement said, in part, "I support and advocate for the respectful treatment of women in politics, the workplace and the world in general. I believe my stepping down at this time is in the best interest of Alaskans and a demonstration of my support for all women, regardless of political affiliation. There are recent circumstances surrounding my Gubernatorial running mate, Charlie Pierce, which have led me to make the decision to withdraw from the Pierce-Grunwald for Governor campaign team. In closing, I ask that my friends and fellow Alaskans give their support to the Dunleavy/Dahlstrom team and join me in voting for them on November 8."

The lawsuit was filed on October 21, 2022. At that time, Pierce said, "I have no comments about future litigation."

Election analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.

• Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
• Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
• State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
• Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.

Presidential elections

See also: Presidential voting trends in Alaska and The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Cook PVI by congressional district

Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for Alaska, 2022
District	Incumbent	Party	PVI
Alaska's At-Large	Vacant	Republican	R+8

2020 presidential results by 2022 congressional district lines

2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2022 district lines, Alaska
District	Joe Biden	Donald Trump
Alaska's At-Large	43.0%	53.1%

2012-2020

How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2012	2016	2020
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

Ballotpedia could not produce this analysis for Alaska, which does not have counties but rather 19 boroughs and one unorganized borough. Presidential election results are not recorded by borough, but rather using 40 election districts throughout the state. Overall, Alaska was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020.

Historical voting trends

Alaska presidential election results (1900-2020)

• 1 Democratic win
• 15 Republican wins

Year	1900	1904	1908	1912	1916	1920	1924	1928	1932	1936	1940	1944	1948	1952	1956	1960	1964	1968	1972	1976	1980	1984	1988	1992	1996	2000	2004	2008	2012	2016	2020
Winning Party	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	R	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

Statewide elections

This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.

U.S. Senate elections

See also: List of United States Senators from Alaska

The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in Alaska.

U.S. Senate election results in Alaska
Race	Winner	Runner up
2020	53.9%	41.2% (Independent)
2016	44.5%	29.2%
2014	48.0%	45.8%
2010	39.5%	35.5%
2008	47.8%	46.6%
Average	46.7	39.7

Gubernatorial elections

See also: Governor of Alaska

The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in Alaska.

Gubernatorial election results in Alaska
Race	Winner	Runner up
2018	51.4%	44.4%
2014	48.1% (Independent)	45.9%
2010	59.1%	37.7%
2006	48.3%	41.0%
2002	55.9%	40.7%
Average	52.6	41.9

State partisanship

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Alaska's congressional delegation as of November 2022.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Alaska, November 2022
Party	U.S. Senate	U.S. House	Total
Democratic	0	1	1
Republican	2	0	2
Independent	0	0	0
Vacancies	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Alaska's top three state executive offices as of November 2022.

State executive officials in Alaska, November 2022
Office	Officeholder
Governor	Mike Dunleavy
Lieutenant Governor	Kevin Meyer
Attorney General	Treg Taylor

State legislature

The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Alaska State Legislature as of November 2022.

Alaska State Senate

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	7
	Republican Party	13
	Vacancies	0
Total		20

Alaska House of Representatives

Party		As of November 2022
	Democratic Party	15
	Republican Party	21
	Independent	3
	Nonpartisan	1
	Vacancies	0
Total		40

Trifecta control

As of November 2022, Alaska was a divided government, with Republicans controlling the state senate and governorship and a split house. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.

Alaska Party Control: 1992-2022
No Democratic trifectas  •  Six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22
Governor	I	I	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	I	I	I	I	R	R	R	R
Senate	S	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	S	S	S	S

Demographics

The table below details demographic data in Alaska and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.

Demographic Data for Alaska
	Alaska	United States
Population	733,391	331,449,281
Land area (sq mi)	571,019	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White	63.4%	70.4%
Black/African American	3.2%	12.6%
Asian	6.4%	5.6%
Native American	14.6%	0.8%
Pacific Islander	1.4%	0.2%
Two or more	9.3%	5.2%
Hispanic/Latino	7.2%	18.2%
Education
High school graduation rate	93.1%	88.5%
College graduation rate	30%	32.9%
Income
Median household income	$77,790	$64,994
Persons below poverty level	10.3%	12.8%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2015-2020).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Alaska's top-four primary/ranked-choice voting general election system

See also: Alaska Ballot Measure 2, Top-Four Ranked-Choice Voting and Campaign Finance Laws Initiative (2020)

In 2020, voters in Alaska passed Ballot Measure 2 in a 50.55%-49.45% vote. The measure established open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices and ranked-choice voting for general elections, including presidential elections. As a result, the 2022 special and regular U.S. House elections were conducted as follows.

In each race, all primary candidates ran in a single primary election, regardless of the candidate's party affiliation. The four candidates that received the most votes advanced to the general election. As of 2022, California and Washington used a top-two system for primaries.

At the general election, voters used ranked-choice voting. They could rank the four candidates that advanced from their top-four primaries. A candidate needed a simple majority of the vote (50%+1) to be declared the winner of an election. Under this system, if no candidate wins a simple majority of the vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. People who voted for that candidate as their first choice have their votes redistributed to their second choice. The tabulation process continues until there are two candidates remaining, and the candidate with the greatest number of votes wins.

Election context

Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Alaska in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Alaska, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2022
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source	Notes
Alaska	Governor	N/A	N/A	$200.00	6/1/2022	Source	$100 each for the gubernatorial and lieutenant-gubernatorial candidates.

Alaska gubernatorial election history

2018

Governor

See also: Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2018

General election

General election for Governor of Alaska

Mike Dunleavy defeated Mark Begich, incumbent Bill Walker, and William Toien in the general election for Governor of Alaska on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Dunleavy (R)	51.4	145,631
		Mark Begich (D)	44.4	125,739
		Bill Walker (Independent)	2.0	5,757
		William Toien (L)	1.9	5,402
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	605

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Alaska

Mark Begich advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Alaska on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Begich	100.0	33,451

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,451
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Alaska

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of Alaska on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Dunleavy	61.5	43,802
		Mead Treadwell	32.0	22,780
		Michael Sheldon	2.3	1,640
		Merica Hlatcu	1.5	1,064
		Thomas Gordon	1.4	994
		Gerald Heikes	0.7	499
		Darin Colbry	0.6	416

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 71,195
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Jacob Kern (R)
• Scott Hawkins (R)

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

Kevin Meyer defeated Debra Call, incumbent Byron Mallott, and Carolyn Clift in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Meyer (R)	51.4	145,631
		Debra Call (D)	44.4	125,739
		Byron Mallott (Independent)	2.0	5,757
		Carolyn Clift (L)	1.9	5,402
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	605

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 283,134
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

Debra Call advanced from the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Debra Call	100.0	34,291

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 34,291
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska on August 21, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Meyer	35.8	23,838
		Edie Grunwald	27.1	18,097
		Gary Stevens	12.2	8,123
		Lynn Gattis	10.3	6,898
		Sharon Jackson	8.1	5,394
		Stephen Wright	6.5	4,321

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 66,671
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Alaska gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Independent	Bill Walker/Byron Mallott	48.1%	134,658
	Republican	Sean Parnell/Dan Sullivan Incumbent	45.9%	128,435
	Libertarian	Carolyn "Care" Clift/Andrew C. Lee	3.2%	8,985
	Constitution	J.R. Myers/Maria Rensel	2.5%	6,987
	Nonpartisan	Write-in votes	0.3%	893
Total Votes				279,958
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections

Gubernatorial

Governor of Alaska Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Sean Parnell Incumbent	75.9%	80,903
Russ Millette	10.6%	11,296
Brad Snowden	9.9%	10,594
Gerald L. "Tap" Heikes	3.6%	3,855
Total Votes		106,648
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections.

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Lieutenant Governor of Alaska Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dan Sullivan	70.7%	74,758
Kelly Wolf	29.3%	30,985
Total Votes		105,743
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections.

ADL primary (includes Alaska Independence, Democratic and Libertarian Party)

Gubernatorial

Governor of Alaska Democratic-Libertarian-Independence Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Byron Mallott (Democratic)	66.9%	42,327
Phil Stoddard (Democratic)	16.6%	10,514
Carolyn "Care" Clift (Libertarian)	16.5%	10,436
Total Votes		63,277
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections.

Lieutenant gubernatorial

Lieutenant Governor of Alaska Democratic-Libertarian-Independence Primary, 2014
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Hollis French (Democratic)	62.1%	40,271
Robert "Bob" Williams (Democratic)	25.2%	16,358
Andrew C. Lee (Libertarian)	12.7%	8,238
Total Votes		64,867
Election results via Alaska Division of Elections.

2010

On November 2, 2010, Sean Parnell and Mead Treadwell won election to the office of Governor/Lt. Governor of Alaska. They defeated Berkowitz/Benson (D), Toien/Brown (L) and Donald R. Wright (AI) in the general election.

Governor/Lt. Governor of Alaska, 2010
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Sean Parnell and Mead Treadwell Incumbent	59.1%	151,318
	Democratic	Berkowitz/Benson	37.7%	96,519
	Libertarian	Toien/Brown	1%	2,682
	Alaskan Independence	Wright/Donald R.	1.9%	4,775
	Write-in	N/A	0.4%	898
Total Votes				256,192
Election results via State of Alaska Division of Elections.

2022 battleground elections

See also: Battlegrounds

This election was a battleground race. Other 2022 battleground elections included:

• Indiana's 1st Congressional District election, 2022
• Indiana's 9th Congressional District election, 2022 (May 3 Republican primary)
• Nevada's 4th Congressional District election, 2022 (June 14 Republican primary)
• Texas Attorney General election, 2022 (May 24 Republican primary runoff)
• Texas' 3rd Congressional District election, 2022 (March 1 Republican primary)

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Governor of Alaska official website
• Lieutenant Governor of Alaska official website