Gov. Mike Dunleavy files bid for a second term in 2022

JUNEAU, Alaska (KTUU) - Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy will run for a second term in 2022.

The governor filed a letter of intent on Friday with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. That allows him to begin fundraising before officially registering for reelection with the Division of Elections.

Dunleavy was elected as Alaska governor in 2018, defeating former Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich. Then-Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, had earlier withdrawn from the three-way race. Walker is considering his own reelection bid in 2022.

Lt. Gov. Kevin Meyer, a Republican, has served alongside Dunleavy and has also filed for reelection next year. Dunleavy told Alaska Public Media that he and Meyer will run together again.

Dunleavy came into office in 2018 just days after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Southcentral Alaska. His first budget proposal, with over $1 billion in cuts, proved divisive with legislators and Alaskans. Many of those proposed cuts were rejected.

An ongoing recall campaign was launched against the governor that summer. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was suspended and signature gathering slowed.

Dunleavy ran on a full statutory Permanent Fund dividend and continued unsuccessfully advocating for that while in office. He has shifted to supporting a 50-50 dividend plan and floated revenue options he could support to pay for it and the operating budget.

The governor made public safety a focus of his 2018 campaign. He worked with legislators to repeal Senate Bill 91 that some argued had led to a rise in crime across Alaska.

According to APOC, only one other candidate has filed to run as governor in 2022, the first election that Alaska will use ranked-choice voting. Billy Toien filed in May to run as a Libertarian.