State Sen. Shelley Hughes, a Palmer Republican, is the seventh Republican to enter Alaska’s 2026 governor’s race. Current Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy is termed out from seeking reelection.

Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes speaks on the floor of the Alaska Senate in 2024. Palmer state Sen. Shelley Hughes, a Republican, announced Thursday that she’s running for governor.

House Bill 70, from Rep. Calvin Schrage, I-Anchorage, was inspired by the death of an Alaska State Trooper canine during a 2017 police chase in Wasilla.