Alaska primary voters choose Rep. Don Young, again, and set up a 3-way governor race

Rep. Don Young is running for a 23rd term

(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 22 August 2018

Rep. Don Young (R), Alaska's sole congressman and the longest-serving member of the House, easily won Tuesday's Republican nomination, setting him up to run for a 23rd term in November. Young, 85, will face Alyse Gavin, an independent eduction advocate who won the Democratic primary.

In Alaska's gubernatorial primaries, former state Sen. Mike Dunleavy beat former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and several other candidates in the Republican race, and former Sen. Mark Begich ran unopposed in the Democratic primary. Gov. Bill Walker (I), a former Republican backed by Democrats in the last election, is seeking a second term, setting up a three-way race. The Alaska Democratic Party changed its rules last year to allow independents to run in its primaries, as Gavin did, but Walker decided to skip the primary and is gathering signatures to get on the ballot.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.