Pluribus AI 2026 Election

2026 Midterms · Governor · Alaska Toss-up

Alaska governor’s race

Portrait of Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Democrat

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Portrait of Bernadette Wilson

Republican

Bernadette Wilson

The 2026 Alaska gubernatorial election features Democratic candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a former state representative from Sitka, facing Republican candidate Bernadette Wilson, a business owner and conservative activist, in the November general election. The matchup hinges on contrasting approaches to state education funding, the statutory Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) formula, resource development projects, and state utility regulation.

01

Public education

high salience

Kreiss-Tomkins seeks to fully fund public schools and constitutionally forward-fund education, while Wilson opposes Base Student Allocation increases and promotes school choice models like Educational Savings Accounts.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports increased funding and forward-funding

Kreiss-Tomkins advocates for fully funding public education, forward-funding school districts through a constitutional amendment to prevent annual lay-off cycles, raising teacher compensation, and restoring a defined benefit retirement system.

  • Pass a constitutional amendment to forward-fund public education.
  • Increase teacher compensation and restore defined benefit retirement pensions.
  • Remove cell phones from classrooms and fund electives and sports programs.

“First things first: fund our schools—and keep them open. I'll also pass a constitutional amendment to forward-fund education.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Opposes BSA increases and supports school choice

Wilson opposes legislative increases to the Base Student Allocation (BSA), criticizing it as an arbitrary metric unlinked to performance outcomes, and advocates for school choice initiatives such as Educational Savings Accounts and Backpack Funding.

  • Oppose arbitrary increases to the Base Student Allocation (BSA).
  • Implement Educational Savings Accounts and Backpack Funding models.
  • Introduce transparency and accountability to elevate reading and math rankings.

“Members of our state legislature continue to support an arbitrary increase in the Base Student Allocation (BSA)- a number no one can clearly explain, justify, or tie to measurable outcomes, but leads to Alaska being in the top five highest per-pupil spending states in the country.”

02

Permanent Fund Dividend & Fiscal Policy

high salience

Wilson demands strict adherence to the statutory formula for full PFD payouts to residents, whereas Kreiss-Tomkins prioritizes constitutional safeguards against fund overspending and corporate tax enforcement on oil producers.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports constitutional protection and taxing oil companies

Kreiss-Tomkins proposes constitutionally protecting the Permanent Fund principal from overspending and balancing the state budget by closing tax loopholes so all oil and gas producers, including Hilcorp, pay corporate income taxes.

  • Constitutionally protect the full Permanent Fund from legislative overspending.
  • Require all oil and gas producers, such as Hilcorp, to pay state corporate income tax.
  • Avoid spending state funds on glitzy megaprojects.

“Make the Permanent Fund permanent: ensure that the entirety of the Permanent Fund is constitutionally protected from overspending so that the fund will grow and benefit future generations of Alaskans.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Demands paying statutory PFD formula

Wilson views Alaskans as shareholders entitled to wealth generated by natural resources and demands strict enforcement of the statutory PFD payout formula, arguing lawmakers have unlawfully withheld thousands from residents.

  • Enforce the full statutory PFD payout formula mandated by law.
  • Hold elected officials accountable for diverting dividend funds to other spending.
  • Increase transparency regarding legislative spending packages.

“The Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) is not a welfare or entitlement program; it is a dividend, established by law, to be distributed according to a statutory formula.”

03

Energy & Resource Development

high salience

Wilson pushes for immediate construction of mega-projects like Willow, ANWR, and AKLNG, while Kreiss-Tomkins focuses on utility coordination, renewable integration, and preventing ratepayer-subsidized redundant infrastructure.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports all-of-the-above energy and utility coordination

Kreiss-Tomkins supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy encompassing natural gas, hydro, and renewables, while requiring Railbelt utilities to cooperate, opening the grid to independent power producers, and opposing a second Cook Inlet LNG import terminal.

  • Require four Railbelt utilities to coordinate infrastructure to lower electric rates.
  • Support an all-of-the-above mix including renewables, hydro, and natural gas.
  • Prevent ratepayer funding of a second Cook Inlet LNG import terminal.

“Support development of all energy sources — renewables, hydro, natural gas — to lower utility bills for Alaskans.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Supports aggressive resource extraction and major projects

Wilson advocates for aggressive development of Alaska's natural resources, pledging immediate state support for major oil, gas, mineral, and access projects including AKLNG, ANWR, Willow, NPRA, and Ambler Road.

  • Pledge active support for resource extraction in Willow, NPRA, ANWR, and AKLNG.
  • Build resource access infrastructure such as Ambler Road, West Susitna, and King Cove.
  • Capitalize on state oil and mineral wealth to spur regional growth.

“Action will replace talk, and whether it’s AKLNG, NPRA, ANWR, or Willow, Ambler Road, West Susitna, King Cove, or beyond, we will develop and we will build.”

04

Government Reform & Electoral System

medium salience

Wilson actively works to repeal ranked-choice voting, whereas Kreiss-Tomkins focuses ethics reform on corporate campaign spending limits and banning official junkets.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports campaign finance limits and ethics reform

Kreiss-Tomkins advocates for stripping political spending power from state corporations, re-establishing campaign contribution limits, prohibiting foreign official junkets, and appointing non-political members to state boards.

  • Remove political spending powers granted to state-chartered corporations.
  • Reinstitute campaign contribution limits for state elections.
  • Prohibit foreign junkets and lavish gifts for state officials.

“Get corporate money out of politics: remove political spending power from the list of powers the State of Alaska grants its corporations.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Supports repealing ranked-choice voting

Wilson advocates for traditional voting methods and served as one of the three primary ballot sponsors supporting the initiative effort to repeal Alaska's top-four primary and ranked-choice voting system.

  • Co-sponsor the campaign initiative to repeal top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in Alaska.
  • Promote small government philosophy and constitutional liberties.

“Bernadette also signed on as one of the three main sponsors to support the most recent effort to repeal ranked choice voting in Alaska.”

05

Fisheries & Subsistence

medium salience

Kreiss-Tomkins outlines specific regulatory measures to curb bottom trawl bycatch and protect ANILCA rural subsistence preferences, whereas Wilson expresses general support for protecting salmon runs.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports bycatch reduction and subsistence rights

Kreiss-Tomkins emphasizes reining in bottom trawl bycatch, keeping commercial fishing permits in local hands, protecting rural subsistence rights under ANILCA Title VIII, and fully funding fisheries management.

  • Rein in bottom trawl bycatch and fully fund ADF&G.
  • Keep commercial fishing permits in the hands of Alaska residents.
  • Protect rural subsistence preferences against legal challenges to ANILCA Title VIII.

“Rein in bottom trawl bycatch and conserve Alaska’s fisheries resources.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Supports salmon conservation for future generations

Wilson highlights wild fisheries in her overall vision for Alaska, promising to protect salmon runs across Bristol Bay and state waters for future generations.

  • Ensure bountiful salmon runs in Bristol Bay and statewide.
  • Preserve commercial and recreational fishing heritage.

“Bountiful salmon runs will be ensured for generations to come.”

06

Transportation & Infrastructure

medium salience

Kreiss-Tomkins focuses infrastructure investment on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system and core community assets, while Wilson emphasizes building industrial access roads like Ambler Road and West Susitna.

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports ferry system reform and core infrastructure

Kreiss-Tomkins proposes rebuilding the Alaska Marine Highway System through general obligation bonds and establishing an independent governing board while focusing state infrastructure dollars on core transportation assets.

  • Rebuild Alaska Marine Highway System mainline vessels funded by GO bonds.
  • Establish an independent governing board for the Alaska Marine Highway System.
  • Prioritize maintenance of existing roads, bridges, ports, and rural airstrips over megaprojects.

“Rebuild the ferry system. Support adequate funding. Build a new generation of mainline vessels, financed by GO bonds.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson

Supports industrial resource access corridors

Wilson advocates for immediate construction of key resource access corridors including the Ambler Road, West Susitna access, and King Cove road.

  • Construct industrial access corridors including Ambler Road and West Susitna.
  • Build the King Cove road connection.
  • Integrate transportation infrastructure directly with resource extraction goals.

“Action will replace talk, and whether it’s AKLNG, NPRA, ANWR, or Willow, Ambler Road, West Susitna, King Cove, or beyond, we will develop and we will build.”

07

Housing

medium salience

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports deregulation, state land release, and dark home taxes

Kreiss-Tomkins proposes reducing homebuilding red tape, releasing state land near municipalities, removing barriers to modular housing, utilizing federal housing funds, and instituting taxes on nonresident dark homes.

  • Unlock state land parcels in and around municipalities for new housing.
  • Remove regulatory barriers for low-cost modular and manufactured homes.
  • Institute taxes on nonresident second homes ('dark homes') and establish a governor's housing task force.

“Bring down the cost of housing by cutting red tape so we can build affordable homes where Alaskans need them most.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson No documented position in our sources
08

Healthcare

medium salience

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports Medicaid expansion and scope-of-practice reform

Kreiss-Tomkins advocates protecting Medicaid expansion, collaborating with tribal health organizations, expanding telehealth, capping excessive prescription drug price markups, and broadening provider scopes of practice.

  • Protect Medicaid expansion and leverage federal tribal health funding.
  • Expand telehealth access and broaden scopes of practice for mid-level healthcare providers.
  • Outlaw excessive drug price markups and require hospital price transparency.

“Support Medicaid expansion.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson No documented position in our sources
09

Technology & Artificial Intelligence

medium salience

Democratic Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Supports data center moratorium and AI regulation

Kreiss-Tomkins proposes a moratorium on new hyperscale data centers until state safety regulations pass, requiring data centers to cover full power costs, mandating AI liability, and banning political deepfakes and Flock surveillance cameras.

  • Enact a statewide moratorium on new hyperscale data centers pending state regulations.
  • Ensure data centers pay full utility costs without ratepayer subsidies.
  • Ban Flock mass-surveillance cameras and restrict AI political deepfakes.

“Only candidate to support a moratorium on all new data centers (similar to New York State) until the legislature can pass comprehensive regulation on data center development.”

Republican Bernadette Wilson No documented position in our sources