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At their first candidate forum since the Aug. 18 primary election, the four remaining gubernatorial hopefuls pitched visions for the state’s future that revealed sharp political divides.
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Speaking at the event, held at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s annual conference in Anchorage, were Democrats Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich and Republicans Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson. Kreiss-Tomkins has been leading in the still-ongoing , with 22.2 %, followed by Begich at 20.5%, Wilson at 10.2% and Bronson at 8.2%.
The four emerged as the top vote-getters among 17 candidates for governor. Alaska’s election system uses open, non-partisan primaries and ranked choice voting in the general election.
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Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich, both former state legislators, presented mostly similar positions. Wilson, a talk-show host, and Bronson, a former Anchorage mayor, also presented largely similar positions that contrasted with the Democrats’ views.
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Oil and gas taxes figured prominently in the event.