By James Parkin, 2026 write-in candidate for Governor
When I launched my grassroots write-in campaign for Governor of Alaska alongside my running mate, Ramadanhi “Ram” Greer, I knew the road ahead would be an uphill battle. I am a working Alaskan and a disabled veteran. I don’t have a super PAC backing me, I haven’t taken time off work to court wealthy campaign donors, and I certainly don’t have deep-pocketed special interests lining up to fund my run.
What I do have is a deep-seated belief that democracy belongs to the people, not to the highest bidder. But last week, that belief hit the harsh wall of state bureaucracy.
Despite submitting every required form and paying every necessary fee on time, Ram and I discovered that our names, photos, and candidate profiles had been completely scrubbed from the official Alaska State Voter Pamphlet. When we pressed the Division of Elections for an explanation, the official rationale was simple: because I am running as a write-in candidate and did not place in the top four during the primary, we were cut.
Here is the problem: according to my understanding, there is no state statute or official application language that justifies this exclusion. The voter pamphlet was created to be an equal-access resource for every Alaskan—a tool to help voters educate themselves on all available choices before stepping into the polling booth. Instead, administrative overreach has transformed it into another gatekeeping tool designed to protect the status quo. When we asked the state to correct this oversight, the response essentially amounted to a dismissive sigh—it was simply too much trouble for them to fix.
This isn’t just about my campaign. It is about whether a working-class Alaskan can still participate in our political process on an equal playing field.
Look at the numbers from our primary election. My campaign spent a total of $600 on advertising—money raised almost entirely in small increments from fellow working Alaskans who offered what little extra they had. With those modest resources, we earned 638 votes. Meanwhile, the top vote-getter in the primary, Jonathon Kreiss-Tomkins, burned through a staggering $1.3 million.
If my campaign had access to a million-dollar chest, we could have competed on par with the front-runners. But our current system doesn’t measure the quality of a candidate’s ideas or their genuine connection to the community; it measures bank balances. The primary process has devolved into a wealth contest where money buys name recognition, and name recognition buys votes. Is there a worse metric for choosing the leader of our state?
This financial gatekeeping has silenced our platform at every turn. Because our campaign operates on a shoestring budget, we have been repeatedly locked out of public candidate forums. Perhaps the most painful moment of this campaign occurred when I—a disabled veteran who served this country with pride—was denied a seat at a veterans’ forum simply because my campaign didn’t meet arbitrary fundraising benchmarks.
Primary turnout in Alaska historically struggles to break 20 to 30 percent. Using a low-turnout primary as a strict filter to silence alternative voices before the general election ensures that voters never get to hear a truly broad spectrum of ideas. When the state suppresses candidates who lack corporate backing, it reduces our vibrant democracy to a closed-door country club.
When election officials scrub grassroots candidates from the state’s official informational guide, they are not just hurting the candidates— they are failing to inform voters of all their options. Alaskans deserve the right to read about every qualified individual on the ballot, not just those who can afford massive ad buys.
We cannot allow political participation in Alaska to be reserved solely for the wealthy elite or those funded by outside special interests seeking control over our state’s natural resources. We need to preserve the fundamental possibility that a regular, working-class Alaskan—someone who understands the daily struggles of paying bills and working a full-time job—can run for public office and be heard.
Because of this, I refuse to quietly accept this exclusion. I am preparing to take legal action against the state to defend candidate equity and protect voter rights.
However, running a true grassroots campaign means I face the same limitations in court that I do on the trail: I cannot afford the costly legal retainers required to mount a high-profile challenge against state agencies.
I am issuing a direct appeal to Alaska’s legal community. I am searching for an attorney or legal team willing to take on this case pro bono or under alternative arrangements. This fight is bigger than JP4 and Ram Greer—it is a fight for the integrity of Alaska’s election system and the constitutional rights of every voter in our state.
If you are an attorney willing to stand up for election fairness, or an Alaskan who believes in equal access on the ballot, I urge you to reach out. Our argument is not that every write-in candidate should be added to the State’s voter pamphlet. Our argument is that candidates who already had a spot in the pamphlet and are continuing as write-ins after the primary should not be removed. Only the top four vote-getters in the primary get to appear on the general election ballot, but nothing in statute says candidates not in the top four will be removed from the voter pamphlet.
James “JP4” Parkin is a disabled veteran, working Alaskan, and grassroots write-in candidate for Governor of Alaska.
Campaign contact:
Phone: 1-907-617-1954
Email: [email protected]
Web: jp4gov.org
Must Read Alaska unequivocally supports the election of a conservative to the Office of Governor but does not endorse a particular gubernatorial candidate. MRAK encourages voters to rank all three Republicans in their preferred order.
