Mike Dunleavy (politician)
Michael James Dunleavy is an American politician and educator serving since 2018 as the 12th governor of Alaska. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2013 to 2018 as a member of the Alaska Senate. He defeated former U.S. senator Mark Begich in the 2018 gubernatorial election after incumbent governor Bill Walker dropped out of the race, and was reelected in 2022.
Early life, education, and teaching career
Dunleavy was born and raised in Scranton, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Scranton Central High School in 1979, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at Misericordia University in 1983. In 1983, he moved to Alaska and his first job was at a logging camp in Southeast Alaska. Later, Dunleavy earned his master's degree in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He spent nearly two decades in northwest Arctic communities working as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. Dunleavy's wife, Rose, is from the Kobuk River Valley community of Noorvik. They have three children, who were raised in both rural and urban Alaska. In 2004, Dunleavy and his family moved to Wasilla, where he owned an educational consulting firm and worked on a number of statewide educational projects. Before his election to the Alaska Senate, Dunleavy served on the board of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, including two years as its president.State legislative career
Dunleavy defeated incumbent state senator Linda Menard in the District D August 28, 2012, Republican primary with 2,802 votes. He was unopposed in the November 6 general election and won with 11,724 votes against write-in candidates.Dunleavy represented District D from 2013 to 2014, before redistricting placed him in District E, where he continued to serve until his resignation in late 2018 to run for governor.
Dunleavy held various committee positions during his first term. He served as chair of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee, co-chair of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System Throughput Special Committee, vice-chair of the Senate Education Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and a member of the Legislative Council.
Dunleavy also chaired the Senate Environmental Conservation Finance Subcommittee and the Fish & Game Finance Subcommittee, and served on Legislative Budget & Audit and World Trade committees in his first term.
As co‑chair of the Trans‑Alaska Pipeline System Throughput Special Committee, Dunleavy oversaw hearings on oil and gas bills such as SB 21.
In 2014, Dunleavy ran unopposed in the Republican primary election on August 19. He defeated Democratic nominee Warren Keogh in the November general election with 64.65% of the vote.
During his second term, Dunleavy was chair of the Senate Education Committee and a member of the Senate Finance Committee and the Senate Special Committee on Federal Overreach.
Dunleavy introduced multiple bills and resolutions to expand and enhance public charter schools, correspondence study programs, tax credits for educational contributions, and a constitutional amendment for the use of public education. He was successful with legislation in his second term, establishing Alaska's parental bill of rights.
In 2013, Dunleavy sponsored legislation to create Alaska's correspondence school allotment program, SB100. This program allowed parents of students enrolled in correspondence programs to use state education funds, called "allotments", for educational materials and services from public, private, or religious organizations. The legislation was passed in 2014 via an omnibus education package, HB278. Dunleavy's initiative aimed to increase educational flexibility for families, enabling them to tailor their children's education to better meet individual needs.
Governor of Alaska
Elections
2018
In 2017, Dunleavy announced he would run for governor in 2018 but abandoned the race in September 2017, citing heart problems. In December 2017 he announced his return to the race. He resigned his Senate seat effective January 15, 2018, to focus on his campaign. Retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel Mike Shower was chosen as his successor by Governor Bill Walker and confirmed by the Alaska Senate caucus after numerous replacement candidates were rejected.2022
In August 2021, Dunleavy announced his candidacy for reelection in 2022. He was reelected with 50.3% of the vote, becoming the first incumbent Republican governor of Alaska to be reelected since Jay Hammond in 1978 and the first Alaska governor of any political affiliation to be reelected since Tony Knowles in 1998.Tenure
Dunleavy and Kevin Meyer were the Republican nominees for governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska, respectively, and were elected in the November 2018 general election. Dunleavy was sworn in on December 3, 2018. He appointed Kevin Clarkson to be Alaska attorney general.Earthquake
A massive 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Southcentral Alaska on November 30, 2018, three days before Dunleavy took office, causing significant damage throughout the region. Within hours, he and his team assessed the situation at the State Emergency Operations Center alongside the outgoing administration of Governor Bill Walker. On December 31, Dunleavy returned to the State Emergency Operations Center to personally thank the SEOC staff for their service.On January 3, 2019, Dunleavy requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for federal assistance to Alaska. He thanked President Donald Trump for approving the request for disaster assistance on January 31.
Dunleavy sponsored the Disaster Relief Act of 2019 during the legislative session to assist with response, recovery, and relief efforts after the earthquake. The bill passed the legislature and was signed into law on April 5, 2019. Dunleavy said: "This bill is going to be very important for Alaska – Southcentral Alaska – to make sure we get our bridges and roads up to speed. As springtime continues to uncover potential infrastructure issues, this relief money is going to help tremendously."
Wildfires
In August 2019, Dunleavy issued a disaster declaration as a result of multiple wildfires in Alaska. 2.6 million acres burned that summer. "This declaration frees up financial assistance to help the victims of these devastating fires begin to rebuild their lives as quickly as possible", he said.Budget
On June 28, 2019, Dunleavy exercised line-item veto authority as governor to make cuts of $433 million, including a cut of $130 million of state contributions to the University of Alaska.Also on June 28, 2019, Dunleavy vetoed $335,000 from the budget of the Alaska Supreme Court, stating that he did so because the Court had held that the state was constitutionally required to provide public funding for elective abortions.
In September 2020, Dunleavy agreed to reimburse the state $2,800 for allegedly partisan advertisements that were paid for with state funds. Dunleavy did not admit to wrongdoing, but stated that it was in the best interest of the state to resolve the allegations.
On September 6, 2022, a complaint was filed against Dunleavy alleging that his campaign was paying staffers with state funds.
In 2023, one of Dunleavy's advisors, Jeremy Cubas, resigned after inflammatory statements he made on his podcast became common knowledge.
Job approval
A 2021 Morning Consult poll listed Dunleavy among the top 16 most popular governors in the United States.In 2023, a Morning Consult poll showed Dunleavy as the fifth-most popular governor, with a job approval rating of 63%.
Recall attempt
On July 15, 2019, an effort to recall Dunleavy began after a public backlash over his cuts to public assistance, education and the University of Alaska. It was the second recall petition against a governor in Alaska history, the first being the failed petition against Governor Wally Hickel. Had the recall election been successful, Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer would have become governor.To have the petition certified by the Division of Elections, the petitioners were first required to submit 28,501 signatures. On September 5, 2019, volunteers submitted 49,006 petition signatures. On November 4, 2019, the Division of Elections declined to certify the recall petition after the Alaska attorney general Kevin Clarkson, a Dunleavy appointee, issued a legal opinion. Clarkson acknowledged that the petitioners had submitted enough signatures and paid the necessary fees, but asserted that "the four allegations against the governor 'fail to meet any of the listed grounds for recall—neglect of duty, incompetence, or lack of fitness'". The petitioners said they would appeal the division's decision.
In January 2020, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth rejected the division's decision not to certify the recall petition. The state appealed Aarseth's ruling to the Alaska Supreme Court, which on May 8 affirmed that the recall effort could proceed.
The "Recall Dunleavy" effort failed to submit enough signatures to trigger a recall election in November 2020 or in 2021. Dunleavy won a second term as governor in November 2022 as part of the usual electoral process, making him the first governor to be reelected since Tony Knowles in 1998, and the first Republican governor to be reelected since Jay Hammond in 1978.
Political positions
Economy and workforce development
In 2020, Dunleavy established the Alaska Development Team to promote business growth and attract new investments to the state. The team aims to facilitate business operations in Alaska and encourage companies to invest in industries like oil and gas, mining, tourism, commercial fishing, and aerospace.In 2023, Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 343 to address workforce shortages by removing four-year degree requirements for most state jobs. This initiative aimed to expand employment opportunities and increase workforce flexibility. "If we're going to address our labor shortage, we have to recognize the value that apprenticeships, on-the-job training, military training, trade schools and other experience provides applicants. If a person can do the job, we shouldn't be holding anyone back just because they don't have a degree."