Former Alaska lawmaker Les Gara weighing run for governor

A bld man with a beard speaking into a microphone
Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, address the Capitol press in March 2017. Gara supported $2.2 million in funding for 41 public assistance workers to reduce a backlog in processing Medicaid and other applications. (Photo by Skip Gray/360 North)

Former Alaska state Rep. Les Gara said Wednesday he is considering a run for governor.

The Anchorage Democrat said he hoped to make a decision by the end of this summer. The primary is in August 2022.

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has not yet announced whether he will seek re-election.

A voter initiative passed last year calls for a single primary ballot, with the top four vote-getters advancing to the general election. Ranked-choice voting would be used for general elections.

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Gara served in the state House from January 2003 to January 2019.

He said he feels “very strongly that this is becoming a state that people are moving from rather than moving to, and I think Alaskans deserve a state where we create opportunity.”

He also was critical of Dunleavy’s handling of budget issues.

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