Top Republicans in governor’s race seem set on continuing campaigns rather than consolidation

Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor share statements indicating plans to be on Nov. 3 ballot in ranked-choice contest against Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Republican gubernatorial candidates Bernadette Wilson, Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor. (Official campaign photos)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

Republicans are likely to fill three of the four spots in Alaska’s ranked-choice vote for governor in November. What’s less certain is who the three will be and how much they will compete against each other as well as the lone Democrat on the ballot.

Two Democrats topped the Aug. 18 primary results, with Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins at 22.52% and Tom Begich at 20.8%, but Begich on Friday said he is withdrawing and endorsing Kreiss-Tomkins. That means the Republicans who finished third through fifth in the primary are set to advance to the general election.

Anchorage business owner Bernadette Wilson, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor are in line as of Saturday to advance when results of the primary are certified Monday. That is also the deadline for candidates to drop out, but all three are so far indicating they intend to continue rather than consolidate around a single contender as some party officials are urging.

Wilson, who finished first among Republicans with 10.02% of the primary vote, on Saturday announced she has been endorsed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who is also a former press secretary for President Donald Trump.

Bronson, who finished second in the primary with 8.13% of the vote, also announced endorsements on Saturday, including from Wally Hickel III, the grandson of the former governor. The former mayor, in a Facebook post Wednesday, stated he will not step aside and support the party’s top-finishing candidate.

"We are not backing down, we are not stepping aside, and we are not going anywhere," Bronson wrote. There is too much at stake, too much work still to do, and too many people counting on us."

Taylor is also resisting being removed from the general election ballot, but is facing more than just pressure from party officials to support the top-finishing candidate. The Alaska Public Offices Commission on Thursday recommended Taylor not be certified as a candidate because he failed to complete a required financial disclosure form.

The APOC’s finding is Taylor reported more than $1 million in rental income, but did not disclose the full names of his tenants as required by Alaska’s campaign laws. In response, Taylor issued a written statement that “I complied with the statute."

"I submitted a full list of our tenants with rental amounts," he wrote. "I included the tenants’ first name and last initial to protect their privacy — they are not running for political office and don’t deserve to have their private information published.”

The Alaska Division of Elections will make the final determination whether to accept or reject APOC’s recommendation.

If Taylor is rejected, the next-ranked candidate in the primary is also a Republican: former state Sen. Click Bishop. However, he is running as a centrist who during the primary differed with the leading GOP candidates on a number of policy issues. His appearance on the general election ballot might draw some votes from the other Republican candidates, but also lure voters who otherwise would support Kreiss-Tomkins over a conservative Republican.

The race will determine who replaces Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who cannot run again this year after serving two consecutive terms. The Cook Political Report rates the race as "Likely Republican." The last Democrat to be elected governor in Alaska was Tony Knowles in 1998.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.