Michael James Dunleavy (born May 5, 1961) 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.

In 2024, Dunleavy was elected chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission.

In 2026, President Donald Trump appointed Dunleavy to a seat on the United States Arctic Research Commission.

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 (redistricted from District G) in the District D August 28, 2012, Republican primary with 2,802 votes (57.42%). He was unopposed in the November 6 general election and won with 11,724 votes (94.24%) 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 resigning in January 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 (TAPS) 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 (TAPS) Throughput Special Committee, Dunleavy oversaw hearings on oil and gas bills such as SB 21 (a ConocoPhillips-supported oil tax credit bill).

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 chaired the Education Committee and was a member of the Finance Committee and the 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 (homeschool) 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.Dunleavy suspends campaign for Alaska governor as Huggins files to run , Alaska Dispatch News, Nathaniel Herz, September 12, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017. In December 2017 he announced his return to the race.Denleavy back in race for governor , Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, December 22, 2017. He resigned his Senate seat effective January 15, 2018, to focus on his campaign.State senator Mike Dunleavy resigns from Legislature to boost gubernatorial run , Juneau Empire, James Brooks, January 9, 2018. 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.Mike Shower confirmed to Dunleavy Senate seat , Alaska Public Media, Phillip Manning, February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.

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. In 2021, Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer announced that he would not seek reelection. Dunleavy picked Nancy Dahlstrom as his running mate in the 2022 election.

Natural disasters and response 2018 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 (SEOC) 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.

Typhoon Halong In October 2025, the remnants of Typhoon Halong struck Western Alaska as a powerful extratropical cyclone, bringing hurricane-force winds and record storm surge to the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. The storm killed one woman in Kwigillingok, left two people missing, and displaced more than 1,500 residents, with the predominantly Yup'ik villages of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok hardest hit.

Dunleavy issued a state disaster declaration on October 9 for areas threatened by the storms, and amended it as conditions worsened to encompass the affected areas of the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta. "Every effort will be made to help those hit by this storm", he said. Under his declaration, the State Emergency Operations Center was elevated to its highest response level, and Dunleavy directed the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska Organized Militia to support search-and-rescue and evacuation operations, which moved residents from flooded villages to Bethel and then to Anchorage in what state officials called the largest mass evacuation in Alaska history.

At a news conference in Anchorage on October 13, Dunleavy pledged sustained assistance, saying the state would "continue to help, not just today, tomorrow, but weeks and months on". He toured Kipnuk and Kwigillingok on October 17, calling Kipnuk "a disaster area" where homes were "tossed everywhere".

On October 16, Dunleavy submitted a request to President Trump for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration covering both the Yukon–Kuskokwim region and storm-affected areas of northwestern Alaska, saying that many residents would not be able to return to their communities for more than 18 months. Trump approved the declaration on October 22, announcing $25 million in federal aid; Dunleavy said it authorized a 100% federal cost share for all categories of assistance for an initial 90 days. He called the declaration "instrumental for ongoing response and recovery efforts" and thanked Trump and his administration. In early November, with repair and debris-removal work paused for winter, Dunleavy signed a 30-day extension of the state declaration, with the recovery effort set to resume in spring 2026 in coordination with federal agencies, tribal organizations, and local partners.

Relationship with legislature During Dunleavy's first six years as governor, at least one house of the Alaska Legislature had been led by Republicans. But during the 34th legislature, when both houses were controlled by a Democratic-led bipartisan coalition, Dunleavy vetoed more than one quarter of the bills the legislature passed, breaking the state record for most vetoes in a single legislative term.

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 (41%) of state contributions to the University of Alaska. He also vetoed $335,000 from the budget of the Alaska Supreme Court on the grounds that the Court had held that the state was constitutionally required to fund elective abortions.

In September 2020, Dunleavy agreed to reimburse the state $2,800 for allegedly partisan advertisements that were paid for with state funds. He did not admit wrongdoing, but said it was the state's best interest to resolve the allegations. On September 6, 2022, a complaint was filed alleging that Dunleavy's campaign was paying staffers with state funds.Dunleavy accused of using state funds to pay campaign staffers and violating campaign finance rules, Alaska Public Media, Kavitha George, September 7, 2022. Retrieved September 7, 2022.

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 ($135 million cut to state funding, about a 41% reduction). 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.