Conservative Activist Bernadette Wilson Enters Alaska Governor Race

Conservative activist Bernadette Wilson has announced her candidacy for governor, stepping onto the steps of the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau on Tuesday. The business owner, who has led various conservative policy groups, describes herself as a political outsider. In her announcement, she emphasized the need for a leader with a strong business background, stating, “It’s time that we take someone…with an entrepreneurial spirit, someone that hasn’t been jaded…and we get infrastructure done.”

Claiming her deep roots in the state as the great-niece of former Alaska Gov. Wally Hickel, Wilson is also the majority owner of Denali Disposal, an Anchorage garbage company. She has been active in conservative politics, notably sponsoring a ballot initiative to repeal Alaska’s open primaries and ranked choice voting.

Wilson believes her lack of experience in elected office will serve as an asset, aligning herself with leaders like President Donald Trump and Gov. Hickel, who shared similar backgrounds. She voiced her disappointment with the state’s disregard for the Permanent Fund dividend law, attributing fiscal strain to poor management and advocating for a reduction in public employees to address the looming budget crisis.

Though she supports traditional conservative positions on resource development, Wilson diverges from Gov. Mike Dunleavy by advocating for increased education funding to enhance student performance. “I want to support a basic school funding increase that’s going to make us number one in the country,” she asserted.

Wilston, a resident of Anchorage, officially launched her campaign in Juneau, aiming to directly engage with state complexities. She joins an all-Republican race for the 2026 gubernatorial election alongside prominent figures like Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and former Sen. Click Bishop.