Alaskan candidates running for governor in 2026 are presented below in alphabetical order. Click on a candidate’s name to see their answer to the highlighted question below. A handful of candidates chose not to participate.
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend payouts are an annual controversy. If elected governor, how would you attempt to solve this issue while maintaining a balanced budget?
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Candidate answers begin below…
TOM BEGICH [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
CLICK BISHOP [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
DAVE BRONSON [R]
The Permanent Fund Dividend became controversial when the legislature stopped following the formula that had guided it for decades. Instead of updating the law, they chose to appropriate whatever amount they wanted each year. That turned the dividend into an annual political fight. Alaskans deserve a stable and predictable system. We need to return to a long-term, sustainable formula that protects the Permanent Fund while allowing the state to maintain a balanced budget. That will require honest discussions about spending priorities and economic growth. I support legislation and, if necessary, a constitutional amendment to establish a clear formula so this issue is settled once and for all. By controlling spending and growing Alaska’s economy through responsible resource development, we can protect the dividend and restore fiscal stability.
MATT CLAMAN [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
ADAM CRUM [R]
Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend has become an annual circus in Juneau, and Alaskans are tired of it.
The PFD was created to share Alaska’s resource wealth with the citizens, not a political bargaining chip. When it was cut in 2016, it broke trust and hit families hard.
As governor, I would focus on growing Alaska’s economy through innovation-driven development so we can generate the revenue needed to support both essential services and a sustainable dividend without imposing broad-based taxes. Simultaneously, we need to put this issue to rest by establishing a clear, durable, and predictable formula for the PFD that balances dividends with the long-term health of the Permanent Fund and the state budget.
Alaskans deserve stability and transparency. My goal is to restore trust, protect the dividend, and ensure that when Alaska grows, the PFD grows with it, all while maintaining a balanced, sustainable budget.
NANCY DAHLSTROM [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
EDNA DEVRIES [R]
Strengthen the Permanent Fund – continue to put pressure on the legislative branch to obey the law. Support policies that protect the Fund’s principal and ensure sustainable, predictable PFDs. Expand in state investment opportunities that grow the Fund while supporting Alaska’s economy. Appointments and election to the Board need to be improved. Lots of investors without conflict of interest that can do a better job, now even the man on the street earnings is higher than the Permanent Fund earnings.
MEDA DEWITT [NON/IND]
The PFD controversy exists because we abandoned the formula. For 34 years, a transparent statutory calculation produced a predictable dividend. Since 2016, it has been an annual budget fight. Governor Dunleavy has proposed $6,700 to $3,650 every year, knowing the legislature would reject it. That is not governing.
I would restore a formula-based dividend tied to actual Fund earnings, not to political promises. My framework: start with the POMV draw; deduct mandatory inflation-proofing first to protect the Fund’s real value; deduct operations; then split the remainder 50/50 between dividends and government services. That produces a dividend in the range of $1,300 to $1,800 this year — honest, verifiable, and sustainable. I will never promise a dollar amount I cannot deliver. I will promise a formula every Alaskan can check for themselves, and the discipline to follow it.
JESSICA FAIRCLOTH [NON/IND]
The Permanent Fund Dividend is how Alaska’s resource wealth is shared with the people who own it. It was a promise made to Alaskans, and I believe that promise should be kept.
The real issue isn’t the dividend itself. Alaska’s challenge is a structural fiscal imbalance that has developed over many years.
As governor, my priorities will be implementing zero-based budgeting so that every dollar of state spending is justified, and making sure Alaska receives a fair return from the development of our natural resources.
We should return to a predictable dividend formula that Alaskans can trust.
If we manage spending responsibly and develop our resources in a way that benefits the people who own them, we can stabilize state revenues while protecting the dividend for future generations.
MATT HEILALA [R]
The PFD controversy exists as a disingenuous conversation involving finger-pointing and vitriol. Those that said “No” to projects for 30 years are the ones who have “stolen” from Alaskans and the next generation. I will never mislead Alaskans by promising a full statutory dividend that I know the current budget can’t sustainably deliver. I will solve this the right way: grow the pie so we can afford both a strong, protected PFD and a balanced budget.
My approach:
Prioritize economic growth through resource development to increase oil revenues and Permanent Fund earnings without raiding the principal.
Provide Severe Transparency to help stabilize the budget so we stop pitting dividends against essential services.
Alaskans deserve truth and results, not political games. By ending gridlock, cutting waste, and unlocking our resources, we can restore a sustainable PFD.
Alaskans deserve better than business as usual. That’s why I’m running – to deliver new…
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This answer was cut off after reaching the 150-word response limit.)
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SHELLEY HUGHES [R]
I fought for 10 years in the legislature, at personal cost, for the full PFD. The PFD was designed not only for more equitable resource wealth sharing and to guard the fund (envisioned by Governor Hammond) but also to empower families and grow the private sector (advised by economist Milton Friedman).
A durable approach begins with 1) rebuilding our economic foundations and 2) getting our fiscal house in order—both discussed earlier. My commitment is to work to rein in spending and build the PFD back up through a stronger, diversified economy so the PFD isn’t an issue anymore, like it wasn’t the first 34 years after its inception.
See my article explaining my plan here: https://alaskansforhughes.com/issues/#fiscal. Candidates who campaign in support of a full statutory PFD without a clearly articulated plan are either ignorant or being deceptive – and either way, they’re pandering for votes. I refuse to do this.
JONATHAN KREISS-TOMKINS [D]
The candidate chose not to answer.
HENRY F. “HANK” KROLL [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
JAMES PARKIN [R]
To solve the PFD controversy, we need a hard reset. Don’t be fooled by audits; “legal” expenditures aren’t always necessary or used. We must break the “use-it-or-lose-it” cycle that uses inflation as an excuse for waste.
Controlled spending will provide sufficient funds for every department and a full PFD. By establishing a stable four-year budget with full PFD’s, each agency will do more with less and “say no” to waste without fearing future cuts. Federal policy shifts toward flexible block grants – like Iowa’s flexible “Unified Allocation” – will save money. Alaska can lead by saving federal money through FARs and OARs. Washington prefers responsible management over frantic spending; we are offering a model for national success.
Future funding must be earned. New funds will only go to departments whose OARs demonstrate superior performance. No production, no money. This systemic incentive ensures a balanced budget and a protected dividend.
TREG TAYLOR [R]
When Alaska’s economy was strong, we were not having this fight every year. What we’re seeing now is a symptom of a bigger problem: a stagnant economy and too much politics in Juneau.
The dividend should not be a political football. It is a promise to the people of Alaska. As Attorney General, I focused on accountability and protecting Alaska’s future. As governor, I will bring that same discipline to the budget. That is how we grow the dividend for Alaskans while moving Alaska forward.
BRUCE WALDEN [R]
This would be multi-fold, but I’ll break it down to the Reader’s Digest format. First, again, we’re not broke. But we are starving as we nibble on the crumbs that fall off of the banquet table. We have to establish a few facts.
1.) If I do not have total deed to my property, then the resources under everybody’s property must be part of the equation. This means, Oil, Coal, Gas… all the things mentioned above. But this won’t happen until we replace a lot of folks in both houses, both parties. The corruption and favor-mongering go far too deep.
2.) After DOGEing Alaska, we begin cutting away the waste. I can go into the fact that my plan for our education system will immediately cut half a billion out of the state budget and result in graduates who are ready to go on to college or other professions…
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This answer was cut off after reaching the 150-word response limit.)
BERNADETTE WILSON [R]
The candidate chose not to answer.
