By Nathaniel Herz
This piece was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter and news website. Nathaniel Herz is an independent journalist and the founder and editor of Northern Journal. Herz has given Must Read Alaska express permission to republish his gubernatorial candidate survey series.
It’s been seven months since the remnant of Typhoon Halong slammed into Western Alaska’s coastline, causing widespread infrastructure damage, nearly destroying two villages, and leaving one person dead and two missing.
The storm is the latest in a series that have harshly affected rural Alaska, and experts say that the state needs to prepare for more as the climate continues warming— and for other threats to infrastructure that stem from hazards like thawing permafrost and melting sea ice.
In this week’s gubernatorial candidate survey, we ask candidates about climate change. We also find out who they’d invite to dinner if they could choose any guest, living or dead.
Republicans Bernadette Wilson, Adam Crum, Treg Taylor, Nancy Dahlstrom and Edna DeVries either did not respond or said they could not respond to this edition’s questions due to time constraints; we sent them multiple requests.
Question 1: Climate Change
Do you believe in the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels and other industrial activity are the main drivers of climate change? Why, or why not?
Either way, how should Alaska state government respond to long-term climate-related trends that are threatening communities and infrastructure, like thawing permafrost and increasingly severe storms?
Question 2: Dinner Guests
If you could eat dinner with any figure from history, living or dead, who would you choose, and why?
Q1: “Scientific consensus” claims often reflect funding and politics as much as science. History shows consensus has been wrong before; records demonstrate natural warming and cooling cycles long before the industrial era. The alarmists’ warnings have transitioned over the last 50 years from “the coming ice age” to “global warming” to the you-can’t-get-it wrong label “climate change.” Nearly a trillion dollars has been spent globally on what CO₂ level is achievable, at what cost, or with what tradeoffs. CO₂ represents about 0.04% of the atmosphere and increases plant growth and crop yields. Any serious discussion must weigh costs and unintended consequences.
State government should respond with realism. We just experienced one of the coldest winters in 40 years, making current messaging feel disconnected from lived reality. Many infrastructure failures result from poor planning, not climate alone. Building in unstable or historically nomadic areas carries known risks. Should we force a European model of permanency onto landscapes never designed for it? More stable ground, better planning, accountability, both for individuals and government, for where and how we build must be part of the solution.
Q2: Although British dining doesn’t interest me, Margaret Thatcher always has. As I prepare for work as governor, sound wisdom from the prime minister would be timely. Thatcher guided a nation with vision through severe economic turmoil, faced fierce opposition, and governed with clarity and courage. What was her decision-making process amid inflation and resistance? How did she communicate difficult truths, stay disciplined, and rebuild confidence in her nation? Her leadership, grounded in accountability, fiscal restraint, and belief in individual opportunity, changed a country’s trajectory for the better. What could I glean to help Alaska, I don’t know, but I’d be more interested in learning from PM Thatcher than eating the Yorkshire pudding.
Q1: Yes. I agree with the Scientific consensus. Alaska is on the front line of climate change. The impacts go far beyond severe storms impacting coastal areas and melting permafrost. Those affect our homes, schools, communities, and our oil and gas infrastructure, and will be costly to address. Climate change has already impacted our fisheries with the invasion of green crab in Southeast Alaska severely impacting salmon and other habitat. Warmer water is also impacting the health of salmon stocks. So, what can the state do about it? 1) Lead with a climate change council in the governor’s office addressing all of these areas; 2) Work with coastal communities to identify long-term plans for where school, storage, and homes can be located and begin building toward a plan to get us there over the next two decades (Ex: I assisted in identifying the site for the Kivalina school through the Kasayulie lawsuit); 3) Identify new technologies to stabilize housing and infrastructure as permafrost gives way; 4) Work with scientists in Seward, Cordova and Southeast as well as around the world, alongside our Indigenous communities and leaders, to strengthen salmon and other seafood stocks to better address the impacts of climate change. (These efforts are underway now.)
Q2: My father. I was 11 when he passed away, so I never really knew him. I’d like to get his take on the world and ask him about his struggles, and the many things he hoped to yet do in his life. I’d like him to know his kids did okay, as did his widow, my mother, Pegge.
Democratic State Senator Matt Claman
Q1: Yes. I believe in a science-based approach to energy policy. Substantial research shows that using fossil fuels leads to climate change, and Alaska is at the forefront of experiencing that change. I will take a science-based approach to addressing and responding to long-term climate trends. We must be ready to respond to climate-driven challenges facing our state from increasing numbers of natural disasters to melting permafrost to polar bears driven inland due to less polar ice. We need effective disaster preparedness plans and a strong emergency response network so that we can respond quickly when disaster strikes. And we should take an “all of the options” approach to developing energy infrastructure and addressing the energy challenges in Alaska. I support cost-effective, economic, and reliable renewable energy alternatives, including hydroelectric, wind, solar, and geothermal. We should support innovative energy projects throughout the state to create a better, more affordable, climate-resilient Alaska.
Q2: Abraham Lincoln. He understood that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” Facing the challenges of a nation divided by the politics of slavery, President Lincoln had the courage and leadership skills to keep the nation together. He understood the need for leaders who unite rather than divide, work through differences rather than create them, and work to build a better nation.
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Democratic Former State Representative
Q1: Yes. Atmospheric CO2 levels have increased by 50% in the past 200 years, from 285 parts per million (ppm) in 1826 to 433 ppm in 2026. This is mostly attributable to burning fossil fuels. Over this same time, the average global temperature has increased nearly 3°F.
Alaskans know as well as anyone the ways in which the climate is changing: changes to ocean conditions and fisheries abundance; thawing permafrost, which creates infrastructure challenges and destabilization; reduced sea ice; and higher-intensity storms, especially in Western Alaska (e.g., Typhoons Merbok and Halong).
In the face of these challenges, Alaska can (and should) lead the nation in developing cutting-edge technology that can be used around the world to build more resilient infrastructure and more energy-efficient buildings, and to improve both renewable *and* fossil fuel energy. Along the way, we’ll create well-paying jobs, bring investment to our state, and help our University of Alaska system become even more of a global leader in the areas of climate science and Arctic studies.
Q2: Jay Hammond. While I had the opportunity to meet Bella Hammond ( a memory I cherish) before she passed, I never had the opportunity to meet Jay Hammond.
In so many ways — creating the Permanent Fund, creating the PFD, reining in the state budget in an era of seemingly unlimited money — Hammond helped make Alaska we now know. I’d relish the chance to talk with him about how he looks back on his time as governor.
He also led a quintessential Alaska life. I would love to hear his stories from being a trapper, backcountry guide, and bush pilot, and from homesteading on the shores of Lake Clark. If you’ve ever seen KTOO’s “Creating Alaska” interviews with Hammond, you’ll have seen the twinkle in his eye. He seemed like an amazing man.
Click Bishop, Republican Former State Senator
Q1: Alaskans have been experiencing climate effects since the first people arrived here thousands of years ago. Our coastlines are eroding, glaciers are retreating, permafrost is thawing beneath homes and roads, and storms are becoming more intense.
There is a broad scientific consensus that fossil fuels contribute to global climate change. Our economy and everyday life also rely on fossil fuels to heat our homes, drive to work, and deliver goods.
We can acknowledge the challenges while remaining grounded in what is effective for Alaska: balance, resilience, and responsible development. There’s already home-grown talent here that can help advance Alaska-led solutions in things such as cleaner technologies, carbon management, and innovative energy policies.
No governor has the authority to change the weather, but I will prioritize both safeguarding our citizens and constructing and maintaining resilient infrastructure. We can start by improving snowplowing, ensuring reliable energy systems, and helping communities facing erosion or relocation. This all requires coordination with federal, Tribal, and local partners.
Q2: If I could have dinner with anyone from history, it would be Theodore Roosevelt. He understood how to balance responsible resource development with conservation — something that matters deeply in Alaska. I’d want to hear how he handled tough political challenges and brought people together around big ideas. He had the courage to make hard decisions for the long term, and I respect that. Plus, I imagine it would be a lively conversation — he was known for his energy and willingness to speak his mind, qualities I value in leadership today.
Traditional Healer Meda DeWitt, an Independent
Q1: Yes. The scientific consensus is overwhelming, and the evidence is clear across Alaska. Greenhouse gas emissions, primarily from burning fossil fuels and industrial activity, are the dominant driver of warming since the mid-20th century (IPCC, 2023). Alaska is warming two to three times faster than the global average (NOAA, 2024), and Indigenous communities have tracked these shifts across generations. 144 Alaska communities will need managed retreat or relocation. Proactive planning costs about $6 billion; reactive crisis response exceeds $24 billion. Acting early saves lives and money. Alaska’s response: Coordinate across Tribes, ANCSA corporations, cities, boroughs, federal agencies, and philanthropy to support communities. Build climate-ready infrastructure for thawing permafrost, eroding shorelines, and stronger storms. Fund on-the-land Guardian programs for active land and water management, observer and scientific data collection, and practices like winter burning of spruce beetle kill. Train behavioral health providers in solastalgia, the grief of environmental loss. Invest in food security, fisheries resilience, and subsistence protection. Diversify energy and economies through renewables, microgrids, and rural innovation.
Q2: If I could share one more dinner, it would be with my father, Miles DeWitt, Kadanake Eesh. He was a Tlingit fisherman from Wrangell who drowned when his boat sank crab fishing. I was 15. One of my earliest memories is him holding up a hemlock bough heavy with herring eggs, it looked taller than then a building to my toddler eyes. He fed our family with salmon, deer, and the traditional foods that carry our people forward. I would tell him about his grandchildren, that he never met, and ask what he would want them to know, what he would ask them to carry on. Then I would listen. Gunalchéesh, Dad.
Attorney Gregg B. Brelsford, an Independent
Q1: Increasingly intense and frequent extreme weather events are the new normal in Alaska. The state is warming two to three times faster than the global average; the 50-year-old trans-Alaska Pipeline must now artificially refreeze the permafrost beneath it. Since 2020, Alaska has declared twice as many climate disasters as it did from 2014 to 2019 — including incidents related to permafrost thaw, reduced sea ice, wildfires, glacial outbursts, typhoons, and landslides. The trajectory is clear.
Typhoon Halong caught the state flat-footed – and many people suffered unnecessarily. Never again. As governor, I will boost the state’s ability to anticipate these challenges — monitoring and forecasting extreme weather, issuing timely warnings, and pre-staging emergency resources. We can’t stop the Bering Sea. But we can maximize short- and long-term preparation, including emergency management priorities, village rebuilding and relocation, and 21st-century construction and energy systems.To that end, I will create a DARPA-like agency focused entirely on extreme weather and habitation threats — reducing harm through advance planning, improving coordination, and ensuring communities are better prepared for both immediate impacts and long-term changes.
To that end, I will create a DARPA-like agency focused entirely on extreme weather and habitation threats — reducing harm through advance planning, improving coordination, and ensuring communities are better prepared for both immediate impacts and long-term changes.I choose to dine with all 54 signers of Alaska’s 1956 constitution, and all of Alaska’s past governors from Bill Egan to Bill Walker. I wish to hear their thoughts on what Alaska and its state government are today, how this varies from their initial visions for Alaska and what changes they advise now. I particularly want to ask Jay Hammond, the originator of the Permanent Fund and the PFD, how the current versions differ from his original vision and what changes he advises now.
Q2: I choose to dine with all 54 signers of Alaska’s 1956 constitution, and all of Alaska’s past governors from Bill Egan to Bill Walker. I wish to hear their thoughts on what Alaska and its state government are today, how this varies from their initial visions for Alaska and what changes they advise now. I particularly want to ask Jay Hammond, the originator of the Permanent Fund and the PFD, how the current versions differ from his original vision and what changes he advises now.
Dave Bronson, Republican and Former Mayor of Anchorage
Q1: No, I do not believe that burning fossil fuels and industrial activity are the main drivers of climate change.
Earth’s climate has always changed naturally. The Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age occurred long before the Industrial Revolution. Today’s modest warming fits within this long history of natural variability. Severe storms are not new; Alaska has always faced blizzards, cyclones, and coastal erosion. Historical records show variability driven by natural ocean-atmosphere patterns.
In short, I reject the false choice between denying change and embracing economic self-harm. Climate has changed for millennia; human ingenuity has always adapted. Alaska’s greatest threat is not a trace gas emitted halfway around the world; it is energy poverty, regulatory overreach, and policies that sacrifice real people for symbolic global virtue. Do we need to live and build clean? Of course. But focus on what we control: safe, reliable infrastructure, affordable energy, and a prosperous economy that equips every community to handle whatever weather nature delivers next.
Q2: Jesus Christ
Anchorage Doctor Matt Heilala, a Republican
Q1: I do not believe fossil fuels are the main driver of planetary warming. Solar activity and Earth’s albedo play far bigger roles.
Steven Koonin, a leading climatologist and Caltech professor emeritus, lays this out compellingly in his book Unsettled.
The notion that stopping fossil fuel use will meaningfully cool the planet has wilted. Even Bill Gates and other activists have dialed back the “crisis” rhetoric.
Killing cheap, abundant energy doesn’t save the climate. It creates national insecurity, as Europe discovered. Energy is the foundation of industry and prosperity.
A warming planet is real. The smart response is pragmatic mitigation, especially in the Arctic and subarctic: relocate vulnerable communities away from erosion zones. Innovative companies like Alaska Precast Solutions are building resilient homes with 100+ year lifespans, better suited to a changing environment.
That’s the path forward.
Q2: Thomas Jefferson. More than a Founding Father, he was a scientist, inventor, and visionary who tackled challenges with curiosity and ingenuity. He believed liberty, self-reliance, and creativity were the engines of progress. That spirit and leadership is what we need today. Jefferson knew cheap, abundant energy fuels industry and strength. He would champion American energy dominance because affordable power drives opportunity. He trusted people over top-down control, advocating for government that leaves citizens free to improve. Sitting with Jefferson would be a masterclass in reason, reminding us the inventive spirit of its people is Alaska’s greatest asset. That is the leadership Alaska deserves.
More in Series
Survey Series: Which Candidates for Governor Support Increasing Taxes on Oil and Gas, Which Don’t, and Why?
Survey Series: Candidates for Governor Share Their Favorite Fish Recipes!
Survey Series: Which Gubernatorial Candidates Prioritize Alaska LNG Project?
Survey Series: Gubernatorial Candidates Share Specific Amount They Would Propose for Education Funding
Survey Series: Gubernatorial Candidates Talk Healthcare
Survey Series: Gubernatorial Candidates Answer the PFD Question
