It's something of an understatement to note that ranked-choice voting (RCV) has been a bad idea for Alaska. A repeal of that harebrained voting scheme narrowly failed in Alaska's 2024 election, by fewer than 500 votes, after being outspent ten-to-one by money mostly from Outside. We're trying again in 2026, and here's hoping Alaska's voters have a sudden rush of brains to the head and deep-six this bad idea.
Here's the thing: Also in 2026, Alaska will be choosing a new governor, as current Governor Mike Dunleavy is term-limited. The race is wide open, and while many Republican candidates have announced, Alaska Democrats haven't been lining up as many; but one recent poll shows that, should she get in the race, former Congresswoman Mary Peltola could be a strong contender.
Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola holds a commanding lead in the 2026 election for governor of Alaska if she chooses to jump into the race, a new survey from progressive pollster Data for Progress (DFP) shows.
Peltola, who was elected to Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat in a 2022 special election and then to a full term in the House before losing her seat in 2024, is widely viewed as the most formidable potential Democratic candidate for either governor or U.S. Senate in 2026. She was the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House, the first Alaska Native person elected to Congress and could be the state’s first Alaska Native governor.
“I think that’s a huge thing, not just for representation, but for policy and people’s lives,” said Jason Katz-Brown, an Alaska-based senior adviser at DFP.
Personally, I don't think it matters a jot whether or not Mary Peltola is the first Alaska Native to do anything; that's just not relevant. What I'm concerned about are her politics, her stated positions, and while she was representing the Great Land in Washington, she voted pretty lockstep Democrat.
But if Alaska Democrats get behind a Peltola candidacy, it could place her as the only Democrat on the final ranked-choice ballet. That's what happened to our Congressional election in 2022, when Mrs. Peltola pulled out a win against her two Republican opponents, Nick Begich III (who went on to defeat Mrs. Peltola in 2024) and former Governor Sarah Palin. We may well see a repeat of that fiasco, as there are already several Alaska Republicans lined up to take a shot.
Several Republicans, including Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and conservative activist and businessperson Bernadette Wilson, have declared or taken steps to launch campaigns while the Democratic side of the field remains open. Elections in Alaska are conducted with top-four nonpartisan primaries and ranked-choice general elections.
The survey included a ranked-choice general election simulation of Peltola and several other declared and potential candidates, and in every round, Peltola came out far ahead of the competition.
Our own mayor of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Edna DeVries, has even tossed her 84-year-old hat in the Republican ring. Edna's been a good enough mayor, for the limited things the borough does, but haven't we had enough of octogenarian politicians? And none other than Princess Lisa Murkowski is also reportedly considering a run, but her cobbled-together coalition of squishy Republicans and Anchorage/Juneau Democrats seems to be coming apart at the seams. Still, Princess Lisa has enough name recognition to be a spoiler, should she enter the race.
Read More: Friends No More? Mary Peltola Jabs Lisa Murkowski Over Vote for OBBB
Murkowski's Poll Numbers Crash As She Considers Run for AK Governor
And this, folks, is why ranked-choice voting is a bad idea. One well-funded candidate, with their party and its fundraising apparatus behind them, could win an election with considerably less than majority support, against several candidates and a party that can't manage to herd all its cats. That's what happened in 2022. That's what may well happen again, giving Alaska its first Democrat governor since Tony Knowles left office in 2002.
This is why ranked-choice voting is a bad idea. It flies in the face of the principle of "one man, one vote," and its confusing, illogical execution makes a mess out of elections. And, we should note, support for this stupid scheme comes almost exclusively from the left, which should tell us all we need to know.
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