By Shelley Hughes, 2026 Candidate for Governor and former State Senator
I have heard the criticism that my position on the Permanent Fund Dividend means I am giving up. Nothing could be further from the truth. No candidate for governor has fought for the PFD like I have for the last ten years, and I bear the scars to prove it. There is no way I would give up.
I am being honest with Alaskans, not surrendering and not pandering. Unlike candidates who are making glib promises they can never deliver, I am zeroing-in on the legal and fiscal framework to deliver what I say. Instead of refusing to tell the truth, I am charting the best course forward so the PFD can be paid. I am committing to deliver results, not empty promises.
As governor, I will introduce a full statutory PFD as my duty requires— to follow the law as it is written— then fight for the largest PFD the legislature will pass. I will make that outcome achievable by addressing the root problems: non-sustainable state spending and our relatively small private sector.
We can fund a strong PFD without broad based taxes if we are willing to make responsible decisions. That means eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. It means establishing an inspector general’s office and a sunset audit commission to ensure programs are effective and accountable. It means modernizing state services, so they cost less and deliver more. It means a full focus on developing an energy portfolio, so we finally achieve low-cost energy, and on releasing government lands so private ownership increases— both necessary to diversify our economy along with our revenue streams.
Until then, under the Alaska Constitution, the legislature may rewrite the law, and they effectively do that each year when they pass the budget bill. The budget each new fiscal year is the law. This legislative authority means the legislature is not bound by previously passed appropriations. That includes the PFD— whether we like it or not.
Promising to veto the entire state budget over and over and over again until the legislature, supposedly, would approve a full PFD might sound bold, but it is a fool’s errand. It’s not a plan; it won’t work. The governor has no constitutional authority to add a penny to the PFD that the legislature passes. There is no legislative majority supporting a full PFD, and the legislature has not hesitated to override the governor’s vetoes lately.
In addition, to expect that the governor could bully the legislature into axing the equivalent of thirteen departments of state government at the end of a session, without deliberation or precision, in order to balance the budget and give the governor the win, is magical thinking. Not to mention, it would trigger economic chaos, lawsuits, and a recall petition.
Now don’t get me wrong. A veto pen is a powerful tool and can be used to play hardball, and I will not hesitate to use it when there is leverage. In this situation, the leverage is not there; it is counter-weighted. A governor being “tough” with repeated full-budget vetoes would not just have a tumultuous remainder of their 4-year term but the harm to our state would be immense. Not only full-stop stagnation, but it would also roil the bond market, tank the Alaska economy, and halt every other effort the governor would attempt.
One-line slogans are not recipes for governing; they are invitations to disaster. A sweeping and repeated veto approach is not leadership. It is a wrecking ball; a tornado.
We must also not ignore and be honest about the political consequences of such an approach. Legislators who disagree would quickly highlight every service impacted and hold the governor responsible. That would not strengthen the governor’s position. It would weaken it and hobble the administration on every front. Alaska would be without the strong leader our state needs. Leadership means understanding what is possible and then working relentlessly to achieve it.
As Alaskans, we must all remember how close we came this year to a very different outcome. Without the changing economic conditions from the war in Iran, broad based taxes loomed in the legislature along with a very small to no PFD at all. We were lucky this time: a temporary, war-driven oil spike papered over the deficit. That reprieve is already fading though— which is exactly why structural fiscal discipline, not luck, is the only durable answer.
I get that what I am saying is not pleasant. When honesty is not pleasant, some people think telling the truth is a political blunder. They are convinced telling people what they want to hear is a better recipe for political success and power. But I am not running for political success or power, I am running to build a strong Alaska. I am running to ensure fiscal stewardship. I am running so Alaskans won’t lose their PFDs or critical state services.
I will not promise something I cannot deliver. My commitment is to work as hard as I can to rebuild the PFD by ensuring transparent, accountable, efficient state government and laying the foundation for a robust and diversified economy with diversified revenue streams.
There is nothing more I would like to see when it comes to the PFD than a return to the days when the dividend was a direct transfer of the funds and simply paid, not a political football in the budget process. This will take hard work. I am ready to tackle the problem, and no other gubernatorial candidate has a better plan or ability to solve it.
That is not giving up. That is leadership. Thank you for your vote August 18.
This op-ed was voluntarily submitted by the Hughes-Gettys campaign and not solicited by Must Read Alaska. All candidates running for elected office are welcome and encouraged to submit articles for publication. Must Read Alaska unequivocally supports the election of a conservative candidate to the Office of Governor but does not endorse a particular candidate.
About Hughes-Gettys
Senator Hughes, Republican Candidate for Governor is teamed with Lt. Governor Candidate General Blake Gettys (Ret.). Hughes, a 50-year Alaskan, has lived in communities throughout the state, spent 30 years in the private sector, and served in the State House 4 years and 8+ years in the State Senate, including as Senate Majority Leader and Judiciary Chair. General Gettys (Ret.), a 32-year resident, served as the 176th Wing Commander and Director, Joint Staff – AK Joint Force Headquarters, Alaska National Guard, JBER. To see the Hughes/Gettys action plan and solutions, visit www.AlaskansforHughes.com.
