Alaska Midterm Polls 2026: Why are there 3 Republicans competing against one Democrat for state governor?
Alaska prepares for the upcoming midterm elections on November 3, 2026 with a notable gubernatorial race. Notably, current Governor Mike Dunleavy cannot seek reelection due to term limits. The open primary ballot will allow voters to choose among ...
By Divyadeep Singh, Global Desk |
Reuters
Alaska Midterm Polls 2026. (Image used for representational purposes only)
Americans are gearing up for the November 3, 2026 midterm polls. This year Alaska will be casting ballots for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House, the governor, and the state legislature, plus two ballot measures. The gubernatorial race has come into the spotlight as voters will be choosing from three Republicans and one Democrat on the general election ballot.
Current Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is not in the reckoning this time around due to consecutive term limits under the Alaska Constitution. He was first elected in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. This has opened up the race to succeed him. In Alaska, all candidates compete on a single nonpartisan blanket primary ballot. From those, the candidates who finish in the top four advance to the general election, in which ranked choice voting will be used.
Primary elections in Alaska are held on the third Tuesday in August of even-numbered years. General elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
The Alaska law states that all general elections will be conducted by Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Only the top four candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the open primary advance to appear on the general election ballot (or the next higher finisher if a candidate withdraws)
A candidate is required to secure a majority (50% + 1) of total votes cast to win. If no candidate receives a majority of 1st choice votes in the first round of counting, more rounds of counting continue until a candidate reaches a majority.
The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to the voter’s next ranked choices. The process continues until a candidate archives an outright majority.
Who are the top 4 candidates
The top four candidates include one Democrat and three Republicans. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Republican Bernadette Wilson, and Republican Dave Bronson, who has been a former Anchorage mayor. Another candidate in the race is Republican Treg Taylor, who is the former Alaska Attorney General.
Current Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy is not in the reckoning this time around due to consecutive term limits under the Alaska Constitution. He was first elected in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. This has opened up the race to succeed him. In Alaska, all candidates compete on a single nonpartisan blanket primary ballot. From those, the candidates who finish in the top four advance to the general election, in which ranked choice voting will be used.
Primary elections in Alaska are held on the third Tuesday in August of even-numbered years. General elections are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.
How does the Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system work
The Alaska law states that all general elections will be conducted by Ranked Choice Voting (RCV). RCV allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Only the top four candidates who receive the greatest number of votes in the open primary advance to appear on the general election ballot (or the next higher finisher if a candidate withdraws)
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How is the winner decided
A candidate is required to secure a majority (50% + 1) of total votes cast to win. If no candidate receives a majority of 1st choice votes in the first round of counting, more rounds of counting continue until a candidate reaches a majority.
The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and their votes are transferred to the voter’s next ranked choices. The process continues until a candidate archives an outright majority.
Who are the top 4 candidates
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The top four candidates include one Democrat and three Republicans. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Republican Bernadette Wilson, and Republican Dave Bronson, who has been a former Anchorage mayor. Another candidate in the race is Republican Treg Taylor, who is the former Alaska Attorney General.
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