Mike Dunleavy is the governor of Alaska. The governor's office describes him as "Alaska’s 12th Governor". His official biography says he was first elected governor in 2018 and then again in 2022.
When the governor's term begins and ends
The Alaska Constitution sets the schedule in Article III, Section 4: "The term of office of the governor is four years, beginning at noon on the first Monday in December following his election and ending at noon on the first Monday in December four years later."
Dunleavy's biography says his second election was in 2022. Under the constitution's rule, a term that follows a 2022 election ends at noon on the first Monday in December 2026.
The same article limits how long one person can hold the office. Section 5 says, "No person who has been elected governor for two full successive terms shall be again eligible to hold that office until one full term has intervened."
| Rule | What the constitution says |
|---|---|
| Length of term | Four years |
| Start of term | Noon on the first Monday in December after the election |
| Limit on tenure | Two full successive terms, then one full term must pass |
How the governor is chosen
Article III of the constitution says the governor is chosen by the qualified voters of the state at a general election, and that the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes becomes governor. The governor and the lieutenant governor are elected together, because votes cast for a candidate for governor also count for the candidate for lieutenant governor who runs jointly with that candidate.
A governor must be at least 30 years old and a qualified voter of the state. The constitution also requires at least seven years as a resident of Alaska immediately before filing for office and at least seven years as a citizen of the United States.
If the office becomes vacant for any reason, the lieutenant governor succeeds to it for the remainder of the term.
What Dunleavy did before he was governor
The biography says Dunleavy arrived in Alaska in 1983 and that his first job was in a logging camp in Southeast Alaska. He earned a teacher's certificate and a Master of Education degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and he spent nearly two decades in northwest Arctic communities as a teacher, principal and superintendent.
The biography says he and his family moved to Wasilla in 2004. He served on the Mat-Su Borough School Board, including two years as board president, and then as a state senator for five years.