Former Alaska attorney general Treg Taylor is 10th Republican to enter governor's race

Iris Samuels, Anchorage Daily News on Sep 17, 2025

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Former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor announced Wednesday he is running for governor, becoming the 10th Republican to enter the race.

Taylor resigned his post as attorney general last month after serving in the position since 2021. He is the second former member of Gov. Mike Dunleavy's cabinet to enter the race.

Dunleavy is termed out from seeking reelection, prompting an already-crowded race to replace him in 2026.

Other Republicans in the race include former Revenue Commissioner Adam Crum, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, former state Sen. Click Bishop, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Mayor Edna DeVries, Anchorage podiatrist Matt Heilala, Palmer state Sen. Shelley Hughes, Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson, Angoon resident James Parkin and Mat-Su resident Roger "Bruce" Walden.

Former state Sen. Tom Begich is the only Democrat in the race so far.

Taylor dedicated much of his tenure as attorney general to repeatedly suing the Biden administration over an array of topics, and championing social policies popular on the political right.

In his campaign video, Taylor said he "confronted career politicians in Juneau, went toe to toe with job-killing radical environmentalists and stood up for Alaskans to the overreach thrust upon us by Washington, D.C."

The video also features a photo of Taylor with President Donald Trump, with whom Taylor said he has stood "shoulder to shoulder."

Taylor first moved to Anchorage to practice law after studying at Brigham Young University in Utah. He worked in private practice and for the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. before joining the Alaska Department of Law in 2018. He was Dunleavy's third attorney general.

Taylor ran unsuccessfully for the Anchorage School Board in 2011 and for the Anchorage Assembly in 2016. He has never held public office.

Together with his wife, Jodi, Taylor holds millions of dollars in real estate investments in Anchorage, including more than 200 rental units.

Taylor recently sought an exemption from state law that requires him to disclose the names of his tenants. The law is intended to avoid conflicts of interest for elected and appointed members of state government. A disagreement over an article describing Taylor's exemption request recently prompted conservative political writer Suzanne Downing to leave the website she founded.

Taylor said in a brief interview Wednesday that he has seen his tenants "be approached and harassed," but that he intended to comply with state disclosure laws.

Taylor launched his campaign with a produced video featuring images of him fishing, sawing, sitting in a floatplane, shaking hands, barbecuing in his backyard, strolling by Eklutna Lake and posing with five of his six children. The video clips were originally posted on YouTube three weeks ago — while Taylor was still serving as attorney general — by Advancing Alaska Action, a "political advocacy organization dedicated to defending individual liberties, promoting free markets, and supporting leaders who uphold these principles and values," according to its website.

In the final weeks of his tenure, political observers, including Downing, questioned whether Taylor was using the office of the attorney general to advance his political prospects.

Responding to those allegations on Wednesday, Taylor said that in recent months he held public events, including about the proposed natural gas pipeline, in response to "requests from all over the state." He said he viewed the public events as part of his responsibilities as a state officer.

Advancing Alaska Action is directed by Grayson Massey, a political strategist from Utah, according to its state filings. Reached by phone, Grayson said that Advancing Alaska is his client, and he was not able to comment on the group's activities, nor was he able to comment on whether the group was tied to Taylor, he said.

Advancing Alaska Action is linked with the Advancing Alaska Foundation, an organization that states on its website that its mission is "empowering survivors of sexual assault" and "improving outcomes in our education system." The two organizations held a joint fundraising event in Girdwood on Aug. 29, Taylor's last day as attorney general. In exchange for $100,000, donors could attend a VIP gathering with Taylor and other Republican attorneys general, according to a flyer for the event.

Taylor called himself a "pseudo-spokesperson" for the Advancing Alaska Foundation. He declined to answer questions about Advancing Alaska Action and its role in producing his campaign video.