Treg Taylor reinstated to governor’s race in late-night Friday announcement by lieutenant governor

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who said Monday she wouldn’t certify former state attorney general due to financial disclosure violations, reverses decision citing further legal review

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom speaks at an Anchorage event on Oct. 30, 2024. (Official State of Alaska photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

This is a developing story.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced late Friday night she is reversing her decision not to certify former state Attorney General Treg Taylor as a Republican candidate for governor, citing further review of alleged financial disclosure violations.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission last week recommended Taylor not be certified as a candidate because he 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. Dahlstrom on Monday said she would follow that recommendation.

But in a press release issued at 10:15 p.m. Friday, she said a review by the Department of Law — which Taylor oversaw for four years until resigning in August 2025 — contested the APOC findings.

Because of that same review, Dahlstrom reaffirmed she is also certifying Jose Anthony Tagle, a Republican seeking the Anchorage state House seat held by Democratic incumbent Ted Eischeid. The Alaska Democratic Party challenged Tagle’s eligibility after he filed a blank Public Officer Disclosure Form and APOC recommended he not be certified for the ballot.

“The Department of Law’s informal review has raised questions about the recommendations made on August 31,” she said. “I will not withhold certification from two candidates on recommendations that, in light of this additional information, I cannot apply with confidence across the field of candidates. Certification decisions have to rest on a process that can be defended as to every candidate.”

The press release states the Department of Law’s "informal review identified numerous potential discrepancies between filed statements and public records. The department stated that the review is preliminary and is not a determination that any specific candidate violated (state law)."

Taylor, in an all-caps social media message posted shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, declared "IT’S ON BABY."

"It's crazy," he told The Alaska Landmine in an interview immediately after learning about Dahlstrom’s reversal. "I think all Alaskans kind of have whiplash right now. I know I've got whiplash — the roller coaster of emotions of being in, being out, doing this to help serve Alaska and then being robbed of that opportunity."

Dahlstrom’s announcement comes a day after the election rating site Sabato’s Crystal Ball changed its rating of the governor’s race from "Likely Republican" to "Toss Up." The site calls Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, and Republicans Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson the main contenders in the ranked-choice matchup. The fourth spot on the ballot until Friday was occupied by Taylor’s running mate, Candice English, and his wife Jodi Taylor.

The Alaska Division of Elections issued a statement after 11 p.m. that its list of official candidates has been updated to include Treg Taylor as the fourth gubernatorial candidate and English as his running mate.

Kreiss-Tomkins won the Aug. 18 primary with 22.5% of the vote, followed by fellow Democrat Tom Begich at 20.8%. Begich quickly dropped out and endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins. That means the third- through fifth-ranked candidates — Wilson at 10.1%, Bronson at 8.1% and Treg Taylor at 7.3% — are filling the other three spots on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.

A concern being expressed by state GOP officials — and cited by Sabato’s Crystal Ball in its ratings change — is Republicans who oppose ranked choice voting will not select any candidates other than their first choice, thus diminishing the party’s chances of getting a majority for a candidate during the instant-runoff process.

The Anchorage Daily News on Friday night reported that, following Taylor’s now-reversed disqualification, "concerns had been raised about financial disclosures forms filed by other candidates, including that of gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, who did not disclose her majority ownership stake in Denali Disposal, a garbage collection company."

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