By Michael Tavoliero
Have Alaskans finally learned the hard truth? Do Alaskans understand that it no longer matters who becomes governor if Juneau’s permanent coalition of legislators, special interests, bureaucrats, and their media echo chamber, still holds the real power?
Under Ranked Choice Voting and a fractured conservative field, we are on track to repeat the same cycle; multiple Republican candidates burning millions to split the vote, only to produce another executive who enters office already gelded or in other cases, spayed, by an unaccountable legislature and its minions. Alaska cannot afford another symbolic governor paired with a legislature that refuses to govern.
If these candidates truly care about Alaska’s future, if they are more than the recycled sound bites the public no longer hears, and more than polished resumes seeking their turn at the mic, then they must finally face the truth we, Alaskans, have been forced to swallow. The real threat to this state is not the other candidates on the debate stage. It is the legislative machine that has failed us, drained us, and dismantled our sovereignty. And unless these would-be governors have the courage to confront that machine, openly and ruthlessly, then they are all campaigning for a job that will leave them impotent on day one; stripped of power, boxed in by the same permanent coalition, and forced to preside helplessly over Alaska’s continued decline.
No speech, no slogan, no last-minute ad-buy can hide this anymore. Alaska is not dying because we lack charismatic governors. Alaska is dying because the legislature has become immune to the voters and insulated from consequences. If these candidates cannot acknowledge that, and act together to change it, then they are not fighting for Alaska. They are auditioning for ceremonial roles in its slow and inevitable collapse into Alaskan Marxism.
From Walker’s unilateral Medicaid expansion in 2015, to the institutionalization and breach of trust of PFD in 2018, to the legislature’s silence on education collapse, federal overreach, energy strangulation, and election-law degradation, the pattern is unmistakable. This past decade was not an accident. It was a slow, deliberate corrosion of sovereignty, competence, and public trust. These failures were not inevitable; they were planned. And unless the political structure, strategy and plan change, they will be repeated.
The Alaska Legislature’s post-Trump trajectory appears to rest on a single, dangerous move: consolidating power. Alaska is on the verge of formally embracing a fully centralized government, and the signs are no longer subtle.
The only viable path forward is unity. And while Alaska’s hardened political class insists that “tradition” must be preserved, dismissing any alternative as naïve or out of bounds, I ask them one simple question: under your way of doing things, has anything improved, or has everything gotten worse?
Instead of multiple gubernatorial campaigns competing to become the next powerless figurehead, Republican and conservative candidates must agree on a shared platform.
Look at our operating budget: according to Truth in Accounting, Alaska balanced its books only because it received $5.1 billion in federal money, making federal aid the single largest source of revenue, accounting for 52% of all operating funds. And, as if dependence were not alarming enough, the Legislature then pulled an additional $4.8 billion from the Earnings Reserve Account to manufacture a small surplus.
What if all candidates agreed to support the following four-part platform:
1. Fix Medicaid Before It Consumes the Budget
Medicaid expansion is driving Alaska into a fiscal trap by ballooning long-term liabilities and deepening dependency. Without real reform, it will keep devouring unrestricted revenue and leave the state financially paralyzed.
2. Demand Results from a Failing K–12 System
Despite record spending, Alaska ranks near the bottom in student outcomes. Our children are being shortchanged, our workforce weakened, and taxpayers forced to fund the most expensive, least effective education pipeline in the nation.
3. Unleash Alaska’s Energy Wealth
Alaska has world-class energy resources, yet high costs and shrinking production persist because government blocks development. Clear the obstacles, end the delays, and let Alaska power its own prosperity.
4. Protect the Permanent Fund Trust and the PFD
For decades the PF and PFD operated as a trust for the people. Diverting earnings to government was the first breach; merging the Fund with the ERA would destroy the trust entirely. Alaska’s resource wealth belongs to the people, not to the government.
What if they all committed to select and support a single nominee? One name goes on the ballot; the others form the war council.
All remaining campaign funds, all parties, and all conservative voters are then directed toward the real objective: building a durable conservative supermajority in both state legislative chambers. Without that supermajority, no governor, no matter how competent or sincere, will ever have the power to repair the damage of the last decade or protect Alaska’s future.
Alaska is approaching a political breaking point, not because of any single policy failure, but because of a deeper mindset that has taken root in the electorate: the belief that the State is inherently benevolent, indispensable, and responsible for solving every problem. When a population thinks this way, the State expands naturally, absorbs power effortlessly, and becomes immune to accountability. Its failures are tolerated, its intrusions normalized, and its growth mistaken for progress. That is the condition Alaska now faces.
This mindset explains why the legislature remains unmovable, why the bureaucracy grows unchecked, and why even major breaches of policy stability, Medicaid expansion, education collapse, cheap energy, PFD diversion, and federal dependency, were not reversed. Voters have been conditioned to view the State not as something to restrain, but as something to petition, praise, and depend upon. As long as this mentality prevails, no governor, however talented, can overcome the machinery that actually governs Alaska.
This is why the current field of multiple gubernatorial candidates is so dangerous. Each believes he or she alone can fix a system that is fundamentally protected by the public’s own thinking. The blind selfishness of this mentality only affirms the fact of the past: history will repeat itself. By running separately, they reinforce the illusion that the governorship is the lever of power, when in reality the true power lies in a legislature and bureaucracy that voters have ceased to question. Fragmentation all but guarantees another gelded/spayed executive. An Alaskan governor entering office in 2026 will already be overpowered by an entrenched political structure that no longer fears the voters who created it.
Unless the candidates unite, speak from a shared platform, and begin shifting the public mindset away from dependence on the State and back toward citizen sovereignty, Alaska’s political condition will not change. The problem is not merely who gets elected; it is how Alaskans have been taught to think about government itself. Until that changes, the State will continue to grow at the expense of the people, and every governor will inherit the same fate: a title without power, and a mandate without the means to fulfill it.
Spot on Michael. Too many cooks spoil the broth and the Republicans need to decide who has the best chance at defeating the Democrat and rally around that person in a united fashion.
Well said. To get the kind of Legislature that Gov Abbott in Texas and Gov DeSantis have however, our Governor MUST actively campaign in legislative districts for conservatives who will not give the farm to the Dems. Full stop. Whether or not Dunleavy has the cachet or cajones to do that is uncertain. Long term though…our next Governor should commit now to that strategy and be relentless about it.
What can be done if voters still vote for legislators who blatantly lie in ads to misrepresent their opponent?
“Alaska is dying because the legislature has become immune to the voters and insulated from consequences.”
Indeed. What recourse do we, the people, have?
Good article.
I’m sorry to say, Alaska seems to have a majority of uninformed voters and a majority that doesn’t seem to care. To many stay home and don’t get involved in the local elections. People the problem in Alaska is in Juneau.
Andrew, be happy that most of the oafs don’t vote!
You, Michael Tavoliero, would make a third good choice of Alaska’s GOP Chair to lead a splintered and disorganized group
you, Assembly Member Goecker, and Pruitt, even Dunleavy would had made better choices for the AKGOP chair to organize and lead a party that’s dying because of poor leadership by its staff and committee members to guide and control the elect leadership
How about, good roads, good schools and good governance, something Republicans haven’t provided since Eisenhower.
And the last road, bridge, pipeline or any other piece of transportation infrastructure democrats supported was what? I’ll wait. Meanwhile, thanks for playing. Cheers –
Unite?
Really?
Please take your writing prowess and expose the career political Republicans that are running for governor – EXPOSE them for who and what they are.
Dahlstrom, Treg, Crum – hexx no.
Shelley, Edna, Bronson – meh.
We need a disrupter, someone that hasn’t been compromised by the morass of the Republican party – a business person who has never been a damn politician.
The narrative has shifted – people are FED UP with the empty promises of government.
Bernadette!
America First.
Alaska First.
I agree and of course our legislature is truly a mess with Republican impersonators and few true conservatives. We need a governor with a backbone of steel and a clear voice. Of the Republican field I only recognize a couple who might fit that order.
Michael, this is 2025! Do you really think Alaskans believe that the political parties give a shit about anything but their own advantage? Everything is negotiable–nothing sacred!
Absolutely.
Wake up Michael.
We better get serious about exposing these damn grifters.
The politicians in Juneau are corrupt to the core – the Republicans are the worst – WE HAVE THE MAJORITY AND THESE CON ARTISTS ARE CAUCUSING WITH THE DEMOCRATS!
The youth aren’t believing ANY of this lying garbage from the establishment Left or Right.
You got Mandamus in NYC.
Fuentes is the most popular podcaster for young voting age males.
They are going to burn this whole structure to the ground.
Stop playing nice Michael – give us an article about the good, bad, and the ugly of all these candidates
There is plenty out there.
Not seeing your photo is a move in the right direction.
RCV is power to the people that I would be sad to see go; it helped save us from Kelly Tshibaka afterall.
That the budget is so reliant on Federal funds should suggest that the arrogance of the Republican Party (and what I’ll just label “Trumpism”, because we all know what that is) doesn’t work in 21st Alaska, in the sense of consolidation of power and restoring the virility of the party (to continue the unsavory metaphor).
Moving the capital to Anchorage might go a long way towards diminishing the parochial vision conservatives have for Alaska.
RCV puts the outside $$$ in charge, which is hardly power to the people. Cheers –
I agree but these rinos will never stop shooting themselves in the foot. Why?
The fact that a third of Alaska population is on Medicaid should be enough of a shock to make ANYONE aware of how unsustainable that monolith has become. Walker was the worst governor in Alaska history and he, with the help of the activist judiciary, destroyed us economically.
Unimaginative prattle from a guy obviously disconnected from actual political and fiscal realities.
Yes, Alaska’s state legislature continues to appropriate more funds than are prudent. We’ve spent too much and saved too little for decades, particularly our non-renewable income from publicly owned oil.
That’s actually what the public desires and have gotten from Republican and Democratic members of the legislature.
The biggest problem Alaska has had for the last decade, or so, is a disengaged and ineffective Governor.
Mike Dunleavy wildly overpromised and seriously underdelivered on promises to pare back government. Seven long lackluster years with Governor Dunleavy as the chief executive have brought Alaska to the brink of bankruptcy. He’s getting out of office in the Nick of time leaving Alaska’s state government wrecked and financially busted.
We get what we deserve in the this little experiment in the Last Frontier.
Every single candidate knows what is at stake, but still hold to the idea that they have a chance.
RCV is Ruining Our Electoral Ability.
ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE!
How about these for the first two: (1) restoring integrity and transparency to state and local elections, and (2) restoring integrity and public confidence in grand juries.
.
Without them firmly in place, what possible chance of success do any of your excellent ideas have?
.
Maybe Alaska’s sinking simply because her lobbyist-legislator team has no reason to worry about voters or law enforcement?
.
To be fair, the registered special interest half of Alaska’s lobbyist-legislator team outnumbers the elected legislative half by almost 8 to 1, so some legislators might have difficulty remembering what they owe to whom if they want to keep their jobs, and keep money flowing to their districts.
.
What’s unfair is ordinary voters don’t have registered special-interests looking out for them and, as you said, most of the elected half don’t care about them.
.
Without (1) and (2), what do ordinary voters have, Michael? Nothing! No power, respect, or hope. Radical Left Democrats, donors, public-employee unions, lobbyists, and dark-money launderers don’t know this, and won’t take full advantage of the situation?
.
Want to know what candidates are really about? Ask each one whether he, or she, has plans in place for restoring integrity and public confidence in elections and grand-juries, ready to execute, right after swearing-in, and what the plans are.
.
Then you’ll find out quickly which candidates are worth your attention and money, and which should be allowed nowhere near the governor’s mansion.
What a Manifesto of Devastation. What a crock! After 40 years of Republican domination, we are expected to believe that more of the same will save us? After a legislative session that actually produced some positive results, we should vote in right wing radicals who don’t believe in funding education? Just imagine where the schools would be if there had been more Mike Showers, more Shelly Hughes’s present. No, lets get on the road to recovery and elect more legislators who will work together for the success of Alaska.
Tom, there has been no “Republican domination” any time in recent history. Our legislature is controlled by leftists and RINOs who answer only to special interest groups and outside money. Right, let’s elect more legislators who demand higher property taxes, income tax, sales tax, and any other kind of tax they can come up with, and also believe that school districts should have virtually unlimited budgets yet never be held accountable for a single dollar of the millions upon millions they spend, while producing the absolute worst results in the nation. Sure, let’s make this place just like California, Washington, Oregon. Why not just go ahead and say it?
“lets make this more like California, Oregon and Washington”.
“…….we should vote in right wing radicals who don’t believe in funding education?………”
The Mat-Su School District consumes 87% of the borough’s income, and that’s on top of the state per-student funding ($5,960), and Mat-Su is widely seen as the “right wing” bastion of the state. Back in the 1980’s, it was 95% of the borough budget. It must be adequate, because the flow of immigrants from Anchorage is causing huge growth problems in roads and infrastructure, but no outcries of education inadequacies.
I would love to cite the rank of Mat-Su schools compared to other boroughs and munis, but there is no single, publicly available ranking of Alaska student testing by borough. Imagine that………..
Wrong, Dept of Education academic achievement scores are available online.
Little can be done by governor or legislature if any law or order can be appealed to self appointed judiciary that alone decides what it will allow to stand.
Un elected and self nominated, it is un impeachable octopus where every state lawyer is its tentacle.
Unimpeachable?
You could have just said Get rid of Democrats and Rino’s if you want things to change
Some good governor candidates for 2026. Just make sure it isn’t the union mafia stooge…..
Click Bishop.
Ted, nothing wrong about having a low IQ governor. We survived with four years of brainless Joe Biden. These kind of low budget characters usually produce geniuses in subsequent years.
Click has Alzheimer’s?
“……..Alaska has world-class energy resources, yet high costs and shrinking production persist because government blocks development. Clear the obstacles, end the delays, and let Alaska power its own prosperity………”
We’ve been listening to that mantra for over 40 years. The oil under state lands is gone. The rest of Alaska’s oil is under federal lands or waters, and that’s no mistake. They’ll develop it when they want, not sooner, and not if you demand. If it’s the gas you’re talking about, we’re supposedly on the cusp, after spending hundreds of millions over the past 40 years on getting it permitted and finding a committed market………..yet again. But world markets are in complete turmoil, and so are investors………….
Rank Choice Voting is promoted as a fairer and more modern system but in practice it creations confusion, unequal voting power and outcome, and out comes that undermine confidence in elections. 1. It violates the one person, one vote practice. Some voters get their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th choice counted in later rounds, while other voter’s ballots never move forwards. This means some voters ballots are counted multiple times while others are not. This functionally given unequal weight to different voters. 2. Many ballots are thrown out before the final round. A large number of ballots become exhausted when voters don’t or can’t rank every candidate. When their first choice candidate is eliminated their ballot may no longer count . In many RCV elections 10 to 20% of voters lose their vote entirely by the final round. 3. RCV is confusing to voters and increases errors. A voting system should be simple and easy to complete. Not a strategy exercise. 4. it pressures voters to support candidates they do not support. While ranking is optional, the system punishes voters who don’t rank backups. Voters feel forced to rank candidates they don’t want diluting the clarity of their true preference. 5. It produces strange and undemocratic outcomes. RCV can produce winners who did not receive the most first choice votes. It can also produce mathematical paradoxes where ranking a candidate higher can actually cause them to lose. A system that can reverse the voter’s intent undermines trust. 6. It requires complex counting and centralized software. Unlike a simple one vote election that can be counted at each precinct , RCV requires multiple rounds of computer tabulation. This make recounts difficult or impossible for the public to observe and verify. 7. It reduces confidence in elections. When ballots are discarded, the results take days, and the process is to complex for the citizens to follow, people naturally trust the system less. Elections should be transparent, simple, and easy to audit. RCV is the opposite. Conclusion: RCV sounds appealing but in reality it adds complexity, reduces clarity, discards ballots, and undermines equal voting power. A trustworthy election system should be simple, direct, and easy for every voter to understand.
Not a multi-round, computer driven process that many voters find confusing or unfair
RCV is also much more expensive.
Regarding our failed education bureaucracy, our children are not being “short changed” but rather severely abused. Growing up with a deficient education is a curse that haunts one to their grave. Too many are academically noncompetitive before they even leave school. Invariably, many turn to others in the same situation; then to drugs and alcohol. This is why the homelessness symptom is growing exponentially. The failure of the unionized education bureaucracy is an existential crisis of epic proportions. Let us not minimize this crisis with soft wording like “short changed.”