Dave Bronson (R) – Alaska Governor 2026

About

Dave Bronson is a Republican, former one-term mayor of Anchorage and a former U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve and Alaska Air National Guard officer who worked as a commercial pilot. He finished third among the four general-election candidates in the August 18 primary with 8.1% and campaigns on resource development, infrastructure, housing, government reform and protecting the Permanent Fund dividend. Bronson has remained in the race despite calls for Republican consolidation and, like the other finalists, was identified in a preliminary state review as having potential financial-disclosure issues that did not by themselves establish a violation.

Biography sources 9

Positions on Key Issues

Positions of Dave Bronson on key issues
Issue	Stance	Sources
Economy	Bronson says he would grow Alaska's economy through responsible resource development, cutting regulatory red tape, supporting key industries, and creating better-paying jobs to lower costs and curb outmigration. He opposes additional changes to Alaska's oil-and-gas tax structure, arguing that changing the rules midstream discourages investment; his campaign also proposes zero-based budgeting and using a 10-year rolling average of oil-and-gas collections for more predictable state budgeting.	Dave and Josh's Policies \| Dave Bronson for Alaska Governor Opinion: A vision for Alaska that includes putting people and prosperity first Alaska gubernatorial candidates highlight contrasting philosophies on oil and gas
Climate/Energy	Bronson supports expanding Alaska’s oil and gas development, including the AKLNG natural-gas pipeline, and opposes increasing oil-industry taxes or changing the tax structure, arguing that midstream rule changes discourage investment. His campaign policy page lists “Alaska Infrastructure & Energy / Build Big Again,” but the available public materials reviewed do not state a specific climate-change or emissions-reduction plan.	Alaska gubernatorial candidates highlight contrasting philosophies on oil and gas Dave and Josh’s Policies
Abortion & Reproductive Health	Bronson supports strengthening pregnancy resource centers, adoption and foster-care services, and other support for women facing unplanned pregnancies. He also supports working with the Legislature to put a constitutional amendment before Alaska voters stating that the Alaska Constitution does not create a right to abortion, and has said he would appoint judges who interpret the Constitution as written and defend life-affirming laws.	Governor’s Race: If elected, how will you protect unborn Alaskans from abortion? Governor’s Forum Part 3: 2 Executive Orders, 5 Priorities, and a New Government Office
Firearms & Second Amendment	Bronson has expressed support for gun rights. In 2021, as Anchorage mayor, he issued a directive declaring Anchorage a “Second Amendment sanctuary municipality” and directing the city to protect citizens’ right to keep and bear arms; in the 2026 Alaska governor’s race, the NRA-PVF rated him A, which the organization defines as a “solidly pro-gun” candidate with a demonstrated record of support for Second Amendment issues. His current campaign policy page does not list a separate firearms policy.	Mayor Bronson issues inauguration day directives on gun rights, economy, shrinking government, COVID-19 rules Which Candidates Get A+ from NRA for Second Amendment Rights? Dave and Josh's Policies
Civil Rights & Equality	Bronson publicly opposed adding LGBTQ+ protections to Anchorage’s anti-discrimination ordinance in 2015. As Anchorage mayor in 2022, he said city employees should uphold the law and protect everyone’s rights while defending an appointed library manager who had made disparaging remarks about Alaska Natives and LGBTQ+ people; this record indicates opposition to expanding LGBTQ+ protections alongside a stated general expectation that legal rights be protected.	In secret recordings, a top Anchorage library official calls Alaska Natives ‘woke’ and ‘racists’
Education	Bronson says he would end what he describes as bloated bureaucracy and political agendas in schools, refocus public education on reading, writing, and math, reward effective teachers, and restore parents’ rights.	Dave and Josh's Policies Dave Bronson for Alaska Governor
Election Policy	The Bronson-Church campaign platform calls for “Alaska Election Reform: Restoring Trust and Security.” In a campaign-linked op-ed, running mate Josh Church advocated same-day in-person voting as the standard, photo ID, limiting mail voting to verified absentee ballots, ballot chain-of-custody rules, observer and audit transparency, voter-roll maintenance, and paper ballots with hand-counted or verifiable audit systems; this is the clearest available statement of the ticket’s election-policy position, though it was published before the requested update window.	Dave and Josh's Policies Opinion: Make Election Day Mean Election Day Again
Local Issues	Bronson's campaign platform emphasizes local infrastructure, housing, education, and government reform. It calls for opening access to Alaska land through roads and responsible development, expanding land ownership, securing state land for attainable housing and community growth, implementing an "AK 10/10 Plan" focused on workforce-first public education, and pursuing election reform and other government changes.	Dave and Josh's Policies \| Dave Bronson for Alaska Governor

Review an issue

Economy

Bronson says he would grow Alaska's economy through responsible resource development, cutting regulatory red tape, supporting key industries, and creating better-paying jobs to lower costs and curb outmigration. He opposes additional changes to Alaska's oil-and-gas tax structure, arguing that changing the rules midstream discourages investment; his campaign also proposes zero-based budgeting and using a 10-year rolling average of oil-and-gas collections for more predictable state budgeting.

Sources:

Dave and Josh's Policies | Dave Bronson for Alaska Governor

Opinion: A vision for Alaska that includes putting people and prosperity first

Alaska gubernatorial candidates highlight contrasting philosophies on oil and gas

Choose another issue above to review the remaining researched positions.

No public position found: Healthcare, Immigration, Foreign Policy, Tech & AI

Top Donors

Reported approximately $318,166 in total receipts as of the July 2026 APOC filing, though $130,065 was a transfer from his prior candidate account and new contributor money was $188,101, leaving $103,006 cash on hand and $28,061 debt. An earlier February 2026 APOC report showed $217,284 raised. No OpenSecrets page was found; figures come from APOC filings and Alaska news reports.

Sources

Wilson, Crum lead Republican field in fundraising reports 2026 Alaska gubernatorial election - Wikipedia State Candidates - APOC Reports Home

Voting Record

Has never held legislative office. He served as Mayor of Anchorage from 2021 to 2024, where his administration prioritized public safety (police pay raises, foot patrols, body cameras), infrastructure including the Don Young Port of Alaska modernization, energy security through the Southcentral Mayors' Energy Coalition, and property-tax stabilization. His tenure also drew criticism over homelessness policy, snow-removal, and staffing controversies.

Sources

View full voting record Two years into his tenure, Anchorage Mayor Bronson reflects on homeless policy and Assembly relationship Governor Voter Guide - Alaska Beacon

About this research

Data compiled from public sources and analyzed using AI. Last updated October 10, 2026. Visit candidate websites for the most current information.