A well-known political figure and a competitive figure skater. A policy advisor and a business owner. A talk-show host and a mother of three. Bernadette Wilson is all those things … and now she is a candidate for governor.
Over the weekend, Bernadette quietly filed a letter of intent to run for governor in 2026, joining two other Republicans who have already announced — Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and former state Sen. Click Bishop.
On the steps of the Alaska Capitol building in Juneau, Bernadette made it clear that she’s in it to win it: “America’s Strength Starts with Alaska!” Watch the live announcement here.
She then made a quick tour of a few offices in the Capitol before heading back to the airport to fly home and begin campaigning.
Bernadette Wilson was recently the executive director of the Alaska Policy Forum, and before that was state director for Americans for Prosperity Alaska. She started her political activism in 2010, working to get the “parental notification” ballot initiative passed, and she worked on several campaigns, including Joe Miller for Senate, winning the primary against Lisa Murkowski; Mead Treadwell for Governor; and Nick Begich for Congress. Currently, she is one of the sponsors of the RepealNow ballot initiative to repeal ranked-choice voting. The initiative aims to gather signatures to revisit the issue after a narrow defeat in 2024.
She is the great-niece of the late Gov. Walter J. Hickel and Ermalee Hickel, which takes her roots in Alaska to before Statehood. Many members of her family have been in the construction and trucking businesses. But the roots go deeper: Bernadette is a member of the Naknek Native Village tribe.
The longtime political activist and founder of Denali Disposal was identified last month as the favorite candidate among conservative voters for the Alaska gubernatorial race, according to reader surveys conducted by Must Read Alaska. Polls indicated strong support for Wilson over other potential candidates.
Wilson’s campaign website went live today at this link.
You can watch the announcement on Must Read Alaska’s Facebook page.
She’s got my vote!
Bernadette will be on the Michael Dukes show at 7:00am Thursday, preceded by Barb Haney (Fairbanks Assembly) at 6:00 am.
Two great shows with the Dukester.
Horndog!
Mine too
Now we have someone worth voting for.
Our state needs fresh blood to prosper, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and former state Sen. Click Bishop had their chance and in my opinion they failed. Ms. Wilson is a fighter and with the corrupt union legislature we need a fighter.
Nancy Dahlstrom and Click Bishop are not just old and tired blood, they are leeches who suck the blood of the public.
Bishop is a de facto Democrat. Dahlstrom? Who knows? Maybe a RINO at best. But she sure doesn’t know how to work, or respond to constituents. It’s almost like nobody is home. Hello Nancy. Do you really have a job as Lt. Governor and as head of Alaska Elections? Please respond if you are still walking upright.
Dahlstrom is lazy, low energy, and could care less about constituent concerns. She’s been piggy-backing on government paychecks for so long, she now has zero work ethic. When she ran for Congress, we organized against Dahlstrom, and even with Trump endorsing her, she lost big time. Trump won’t endorse her for governor either. He doesn’t like low energy people like Jeb Bush and Nancy Dahlstrom. Bernadettewell. is a go-getter and an entrepreneur like Trump. And she speaks articulately, without a crib card. She will smoke Dahlstrom at debate time. Nancy is better off getting her next state job at the Pioneer Home.
It appears you obviously meant to say, “and couldn’t care less….”
Reference: 3rd grade grammar.
Good.
She has my vote
Top choice. Excellent candidate.
Cuter than a Playboy model. Tougher than any legislator currently in office. Feisty. It’s who we need…….just like Donald Trump.
Perfectly SAID..You got it!!!
Hot! Waaaaaay hotter than Sarah Palin. Waaaaaay hotter than any female Democrat……especially in Alaska. 😅
You don’t like blue hair and thick glasses with crazy eyes?
Is that seriously what you’re going to base your vote off of?
Let’s be honest. Democrat women just aren’t hotties. Usually overweight and on Ozempic.
Nose rings. Nipple piercings. Rattie hair. Loads of cartoon tattoos. Ugly feet. Could use hotter bath water and stronger soap. No thanks. Republican women are just better groomed.
And that’s how I vote.
Bob, another thing about Republican women, no penis!
🤣🤣🤣
Oosik puk,
I don’t mean to pick a bone with you, but your implication is that some Democrat women may actually have a penis. This could be very disturbing for Republicans who are caucusing with Democrats.
Artfull Dogger, RINO’s will find it disturbing? I disagree. I believe it is the very reason they want to caucus with commies.
😄🤧😂🤣
MRAK is the absolute best in Alaska, as are the commenters.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Tony Knowles Mayor twice – Governor twice.
Looks matter (whether we like it or not)
Yo George… know how we know you’re a democrat?
Tony Knowles made your sticker peck out.
Ryan, compared to what you Democrats throw out, Bernadette is a HOT breath of fresh air. Your candidate(s) are more like warm, muggy flatulent. Vote well!
Well Ryan, she as far better choice than the usual cesspool of spiteful mutants that keep demanding more rights for the genetically inferior.
Time for us to select representatives for the healthier of society.
Granted, her good looks alone are no qualification for office, but neither are they a disqualification. She’s no lightweight politician. Her candidacy is well worth considering. Best one to announce so far!
Sam, given that an informed electorate is the only salvation our culture has, its inspiring to see your most important priority boxes are checked.
Pretty sure if I had made that comment people would have dogpiled on me.
Let’s go!
Love it!!
Excellent! There is now hope!
She has my vote! She is someone who backs her words with action, has common sense and knows what’s best for our state.
This is the candidate to get behind.
Double entendre, Tom? You and Sam may need to get out more.
Pretty as a diamond, but wayyy tougher. Conservative, intelligent, tough as they come. She has my vote.
I would vote for her just as so long as she does not try to revive foreign owned pebble which was a bipartisan rejection, resource giveaway’s is not a wise choice. Trump said no pebble, the same with our entire congressional delegation.
Wow …..you like Trump. Welcome to reality.
If she is opposed to a state income tax she will be just about impossible to beat despite so much of the media being funded from outside, RCV, public employee union campaign money, and how intense the election will soon become.
Promising but I don’t know? I wish these politicians who campaign that the main point be if they don’t keep their promises that they resign immediately. It just seems to get so old all these politicians who run for office talk all these good things they wanna do then turn around and give their voters the middle finger. I remember the murders only come until the next election Cycle
She came and talked to our group a while back and you can definitely see her Hickel roots. Wally was one of our greatest governors. Let’s hope she can channel him and kick some a**
The field of candidates smells rotten (come on, Dahlstrom? Yuck) so Alaskans are quick to jump on the first thing that looks better…maybe too quick. When a candidate needs to fill out her “qualifications” by dragging out something like “great niece of Wally Hickel” you suspect that, maybe, the resume is a bit light. I guess we’re to just assume that she’s a political clone of Wally because she’s distantly related? I’m not impressed by her experience working at some non-profits or volunteering for political campaigns. Does she have any actual work experience? Been through the hard times? Had to make do? Anything to toughen her up and give her motivation to straighten this f’d up state government out? Yeah, she’s young and pretty…so what? We don’t need arm candy. We need a blood and guts fighter and this little puff piece shows none of that.
I don’t doubt any of your reservations but she did not bring up the relationship to the Governor Hickel the author of the article did. As far as the been through rough times she started and is a business owner of a company that I’m sure has had some run ins with Labor Unions that from my aspect are a drag on today’s society. They were once good for the worker but know are all about who can lay greenbacks into their hands the most. I have had my share of experience with these Union Bosses who are not much better than the mobsters of the early 20th Century who can’t even debate with out trying to throw muscle around. The problem with getting a candidate elected that has been in the political sphere is they are all talk and no action. I would rather have someone who has business knowledge versus a politician as least the business owner knows how to keep things running with out going massively in debit.
Who do you suggest PJ?
FINALLY! A Republican candidate!
Time to take out the trash!
Excellent news
Alaska has a leadership crisis. In fact, outside of NBII I cannot name a diligent public leader. I commend Bernadette for tossing her hat in the ring. From what I know she is the most qualified candidate running.
I’m looking forward to supporting her campaign.
It’s worth remembering that the primary is no longer a primary and is instead a top four race to the general. Once the top four are set and deadlines pass then the games begin and rank voting positions come into play. It’s no longer as simple as a single vote in the primary and another in the general, unless some in the top for in the general drop out. Dahlstrom dropped out during the last Congressional when it was obvious she had no path and deadlines had passed to replace her on the ballot, will Click or others do the same?
Go Jungle primaries!
She’s got my vote as long as she ditches the chamber of commerce. If she doesn’t she just another milk toast candidate.
Good eye. Not many people realize the Chamber of Commerce is a drain on our local tax dollars. They can have lunches on their own dime.
What a joke, Alaska is no longer a Republic.
Even MRA subscribers are attracted to shiny objects. Dig a little folks!
I’ll vote for her.
PS: I saw her raise her children in church (good job mom)
I received a request for donation text with a link to her website. Her website says her Vision for Alaska and her Positions are coming soon. It would be helpful to see those. …soon.
Way to go Bernadette!!!
Watch out now you’ll be drugged through the mud…
as far as Lt. Gov. Nancy
Dahlstrom…
Isn’t running for Congress
Working for you???
don’t forget
She couldn’t clean up the voter rolls
On our annual trip to Mayfest, Nancy Dalstrom was in the seat in the row ahead of us. She was listening to a conversation I was having about Alaska’s only private Hydroelectric generation company. Relatives of mine. At the flight stop in Juneau Nancy jumped up and said “ how proud We are of my relatives”. My first thought was does she have a mouse in her pocket. Upon further review of Nancy’s response, it was a perfect fit for her. Normally one would expect an “ I am proud “ response. Being that Nancy is not known for any accomplishments, she is known for two times after being elected as State Representative, quit to take a political appointed job. Snubbing the good people that voted for her. It was a the ONLY response Nancy could claim “We”.
On the other side a couple of years ago, Bernadette was at a private school track meet, where we chatted as we watched our kids perform their best. Bernadette came across as a REAL person. Very intelligent and engaging on numerous topics. Out with the old and in with the new. We desperately need fresh people in our Republican Party. One does not have to look any farther than our fantastic Federal House Representative to realize that being a professional politician is a pre-requisite to holding Political office. Bernadette would not recognize me but I ask all of you to support her in her run for Governor.
No economic background but she is an skater. I don’t think so!
Her economic background is with the Chamber of Commerce, so she’s actually quite used to using your tax dollars for her parties already.
She has owned and operated Denali Disposal for a decade. She knows how to take out the trash. Running a small business and making a payroll and dealing with government reps is damn hard work. While raising a family and being a political activist for conservative causes and candidates.
We don’t need another Dunleavy.
Always a pleasure to see the party planner!
If elected; the State Employee`s Union will CONFISCATE her VETO PEN
I wasn’t aware of Ms Wilson until the pandemic when during public comment at the Anchorage Assembly this rather attractive woman got up in front of them and declared that they were all tyrants because of the imposed lockdowns. Learned who she was.
A loony tunes loser???
Same here. I didn’t know who she was, but at those meetings I LEARNED that NOTHING scares her..She let them know just how they were treating the people that they’re supposed to support, inwhich they(Assembly) were ready to shut her down.
She’s a conservative spitfire. I’m excited to have a real republican in the race. She’s not a shiny new object, she’s a real fighter.
She’s the poster girl for “Alaska girls kick A//”
I’m down.
She is a better choice than Nancy or Clique
Taking the snarky hat off for a moment there’s at least one troubling aspect to this woman.
I’ve seen her gnaw on other people’s heads and sometimes that’s fun to watch. What I haven’t seen is her do anything but that. So far some commenters think she looks good because she’s made those in her periphery look bad.
Ever noticed her propose a solution to any problem, ever? Noop.
Ever observed her resolving an issue that merited attention? Noop.
Each of you that associate w/ unattractive women often enough that you’re uh, excited about getting behind this woman (or want to)? There needs to be more substance. Five bucks says that her plan is to make a public spectacle of whomever she sees as a competitor simply because that’s what she does. Another five bucks says that if moving forward she’s anything like she’s been in the past; she doesn’t have a working plan.
Ask her…
– How will she hold city officials responsible for their self promoting choices that ultimately are breaking Alaska’s heart?
– What is the solution to Alaska’s bum problem? It’s not just Anchorage. The advent of the Obama phone has made travel within the bum community a Borg-like event. A prime example? Sketchikan. It’s a State issue exacerbated by irresponsible or worse choices made by shallow thinkers focused on self advancement and contrarian perspectives like Mr. Constant, Ms. Zalatel, the fat Mexican homosexual Uber driver Felix and others.
– How will she reign in the parasites attempting to enhance their own State retirement program?
– How will she handle Alaskan tax dollars being donated in support of one agency whom then decide to donate same to their homosexual buddies? Yes, that’s an actual reference to a real event reported here at MRAK.
– Got a well thought out perspective on educating Alaska’s young people without breaking the bank?
– What’s the best way to remove union influence in Alaska elections?
– What will you do to reduce an elected official’s chances of being beholden to a specific campaign contributor?
– What will this woman do to make things better for Alaska?
How about this… skip any of the questions above and ask her what she plans to do aside from catapult herself from garbage lady to potential future veep candidate. Alaska government is in disrepair and home to several old school Alaskan cash squanderers that know no other way. Now we see Alaska as a one trick pony. Our one primary resource is in decline to the point that BP ran away from the state and threw the keys to what had been a relatively obscure industry player.
Alaska needs someone with vision as opposed to someone skilled in the area of b——-
Alaska calls. Show your cards, Ms. Wilson.
Why are you not publishing my comments?
You’re allowing all kinds of inappropriate, sexual remarks about Bernadette to appear here, but an honest critique of her position on the SBA is not allowed?
There are issues that actually matter to her potential constituents that are unrelated to her looks. Come to think of it, I also wrote a comment wondering if she’s willing to defend the most defenseless among us, and that went unpublished to.
It’s hard to take MRAK seriously when comments like these are consistently passed over in favor of dog drooling.
Calm yourself, Nancy. Stay on track and it will seem less likely that someone may be conspiring against you.
It’s good to see someone without previous elected baggage running. I only wish that Bernadette wouldn’t hitch her fund-raising wagon to WinRed. I do not like the way the Republicans take money raised on their platform and distribute it to other Republicans running across the country.
Dahlstrom should be blacklisted, censured, and considered a pariah for her inept and corrupt failure to ensure our election integrity.
And the other guy is just another weak feckless old AK GOP creature.
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