Independent Anchorage attorney files as 18th candidate for Alaska governor

Gregg Brelsford is seen in an undated photo. (Photo courtesy of Gregg Brelsford)

By Sean Maguire

Alaska Beacon

Anchorage attorney Gregg Brelsford on Tuesday announced that he is running as an independent for Alaska governor. 

Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy is in his final year of office. He is prevented by the Alaska Constitution from running for a third consecutive four-year term. 

Eighteen candidates have filed paperwork to run for Alaska governor at the Nov. 3 election. 

Brelsford, 75, has had a long career practicing law. He served as an assistant municipal attorney in Anchorage and as manager of Bristol Bay Borough and Dillingham’s interim city manager during the COVID-19 pandemic.Brelsford states on his campaign website that he wants to be Alaska’s “education governor” and that he would make education funding his top priority.

He was previously a Republican before leaving the party in 2022. He ran for the Alaska House in 1994 and the U.S. House in 2022. Brelsford garnered 241 votes in that year’s primary election. 

Alaska’s primary election will be held Aug. 18. Under Alaska’s open primary system, the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to November’s general election. 

• Sean Maguire is a long-time reporter of Alaska politics and general assignments. He previously reported for the Anchorage Daily News and Alaska’s News Source. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.