Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy addresses the audience during his inauguration ceremony Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy, a Republican, last month became the first Alaska governor since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to win back-to-back terms. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy addresses the audience during his inauguration ceremony Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy, a Republican, last month became the first Alaska governor since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to win back-to-back terms. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Dunleavy sworn in for second term

Says his goal is to “work with everybody to create an Alaska for the next 50 years.”

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy was sworn in for a second term on Monday, saying his goal is to “work with everybody to create an Alaska for the next 50 years.”

The Republican last month became the first Alaska governor since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to win back-to-back terms. Dunleavy won the ranked vote governor’s election with more than 50% of first-choice votes. His challengers were Democrat Les Gara, a former state lawmaker; independent former Gov. Bill Walker; and Republican Charlie Pierce, a former borough mayor who was sued in October by a woman who said he sexually harassed her.

The swearing-in ceremony for Dunleavy and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom was held at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. Kevin Meyer, a Republican, was lieutenant governor during Dunleavy’s first term but did not run this year. Dahlstrom, a former state lawmaker, oversaw the state corrections system during most of Dunleavy’s first term, before becoming his running mate earlier this year.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

There was much less drama around Monday’s swearing in than there was in 2018, when Dunleavy first took office. Four years ago, he was sworn into office in a school gym in the western city of Kotzebue after poor weather forced a change in plans the morning of the ceremony; he had planned to be sworn in in the tiny community of Noorvik, where his wife, Rose, is from. He went to Noorvik later that day for a celebration.

He also took office in 2018 days after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked Anchorage and parts of south-central Alaska.

“There’s been some moments the past four years that I’m sure that some people were saying to themselves, ‘What’s next? Locusts, volcanoes?’” Dunleavy said, adding later: “With your help over the past four years, we’ve gotten through some difficult times.”

His first term in office was at times tumultuous, marked early on by tensions with lawmakers and a recall effort fueled by public anger over vetoes and proposed budget cuts. Supporters of the recall effort abandoned their push last year, with the gubernatorial election looming.

Dunleavy also presided over the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response.

During his speech Monday, he did not delve into specifics about his agenda for his new term but sounded a positive tone.

“I’m going to work with everybody and anybody. I’ll be working across the aisle with individuals,” Dunleavy said.

He is due to deliver a proposed budget by mid-month. The next legislative session begins in January.

One of the big unresolved issues that will face lawmakers will be how to address the yearly dividend paid to residents from Alaska’s oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund. A longstanding formula for dividends was last used in 2015, and policymakers have not settled on a new one, instead setting the amount each year. That approach has contributed to at-times drawn-out or divisive sessions.

Residents this year received payments of $3,284, a combination of a dividend and one-time energy relief payment that lawmakers approved when oil prices were in the $115-per-barrel range. North Slope oil prices more recently have been under $90 a barrel.

Under the state constitution, a governor’s term begins at noon on the first Monday in December after the election. Jeff Turner, a Dunleavy spokesperson, said scheduling issues prevented Monday’s ceremony from beginning at noon; it started instead at 1 p.m. Turner said the oaths of office were signed around 11:30 a.m.

There was a ceremonial signing of oaths during the event, he said.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seated left, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom sign their oaths of office during the inauguration ceremony, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy, a Republican, last month became the first Alaska governor since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to win back-to-back terms. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seated left, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom sign their oaths of office during the inauguration ceremony, Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, in Anchorage, Alaska. Dunleavy, a Republican, last month became the first Alaska governor since Democrat Tony Knowles in 1998 to win back-to-back terms. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)

More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of March 16

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium’s Vintage Park Campus on its opening day of Dec. 19, 2023. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
SEARHC starts up new online portal for patients

Starting later this month, SEARHC patients will be able to schedule appointments,… Continue reading

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (R-Alaska) chats with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) before her annual address to the Alaska State Legislature on March 18, 2025. (Jasz Garrett / Juneau Empire)
Murkowski embraces many of Trump’s goals, but questions his methods

Senator addresses flood concerns, federal firings, Medicaid worries in annual speech to Legislature.

This rendering depicts Huna Totem Corp.’s proposed new downtown development project. (City and Borough of Juneau)
Aak’w Landing private cruise ship dock advances to full Assembly for possible April vote

Modifications to proposed agreement include ship size limit, Coast Guard’s OK due to icebreaker.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Sunday, March 16, 2025

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

A map of Alaska shows the three Social Security Administration field offices in Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks. (Google Maps)
Update: Social Security to cut phone support, forces Alaskans online or to Juneau, Anchorage or Fairbanks

New policy announced Tuesday takes effect March 31; 60,000 rural Alaskans lack broadband.

Rep. Jeremy Bynum, R-Ketchikan, speaks Feb. 21, 2025, on the floor of the Alaska House of Representatives. (James Brooks/Alaska Beacon)
Alaska legislators ask feds to reinstate program that sent money to rural schools

The Alaska House of Representatives is asking Congress to fix a problem… Continue reading

An aerial view of downtown Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
Local federal workers get mixed messages about returning to jobs after firings rescinded

DOT worker says he’s supposed to resume work Thursday; Forest Service worker says status still unclear.

A storage shed on Meadow Lane catches fire Monday morning. (Photo by Chelsea Stonex)
Storage shed fire spreads to two vehicles, causing explosion, but no injuries reported

Two homes on Meadow Lane suffer broken windows and other damage, according to CCFR.

Most Read