After months of speculation, former Alaska Attorney Gen. Treg Taylor has announced that he will join the ever-expanding crowd of Republican candidates who are vying to be Alaska’s next governor.

With his Sept. 17 announcement, Taylor has become the tenth GOP candidate to enter the race. He is joined by former State Sen. Click Bishop, former Alaska Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, current Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, current Mat-Su Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, State Medical Board member Dr. Matt Heilala, State Sen. Shelley Hughes, retired schoolteacher James Parkin, Palmer resident Bruce Walden and Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson.

Former State Sen. Tom Begich is the only Democrat running, but many expect former U.S. Congresswoman Mary Peltola will eventually enter the race.

Before becoming attorney general in 2021, Taylor served as deputy attorney general in 2018.

His opening campaign ad touts his agreement with Trump on Alaska resource development, and his willingness to fight former President Biden’s federal overreach and vaccine mandates.

As attorney general, Taylor led more than 80 lawsuits aimed at protecting Alaskans from federal encroachment on states’ rights. This includes defending the Willow Project to ensure oil and gas development could advance, overturning massive habitat designations that threatened jobs, and challenging federal vaccine and mask mandates.

He has also worked on public safety issues, clearing backlogged sexual assault kits, expanding prosecution in rural Alaska, advancing reforms to hold drug dealers accountable for overdose deaths, and pursuing homicide and sexual assault cases.

On the cultural front, Taylor’s office worked on strengthening parental rights in public schools, as well as defending the state’s increasingly popular correspondence homeschool program.

Taylor’s tenure as attorney general, however, was also marked by controversy – especially with regard to how he handled judicial overreach. In recent years, he has been criticized for not fighting a recent Alaska Supreme Court decision that many believe effectively gutted constitutionally guaranteed rights of citizen grand juries to investigate corrupt government officials and judges, freely and independently.

While Taylor has stated his disagreement with the high court, his office chose to abide by the court’s decision, which effectively makes the Dept. of Law the gatekeeper for all grand jury cases. This is not what the state founders intended, according to grand jury advocates.

Taylor attended the U.S. Air Force Academy and graduated from Brigham Young University with degrees in political science and law. He and his wife Jodi have six children they are raising in Anchorage.

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