Gov. Mike Dunleavy said he isn’t planning to take a job with President-elect Donald Trump’s administration at the start of his second presidential term in January.
Dunleavy, in the middle of his second term as governor, was mentioned by political observers and in media reports in the days after the Nov. 5 election as a candidate to lead the Department of Interior. When Trump selected North Dakota’s governor for the job, Dunleavy was listed by some as a possible Cabinet member for the departments of energy or education.
But the governor, during an appearance Nov. 25 on a conservative talk radio show hosted by Anchorage businessman and political strategist Mike Porcaro, said he intends to finish out his second term that ends in 2026. Alaska’s Constitution limits governors to two consecutive four-year terms.
“I know there has been some talk, but the president and I have not had a discussion about a job,” Dunleavy said. “I really enjoy the job I have, and I look forward to helping Alaskans over the next two years.”
Dunleavy had been discussing a job with members of Trump’s transition team, according to a Nov. 11 report by the political news website NOTUS that cited three anonymous sources “familiar with the conversations.”
Dunleavy fueled intense speculation about that possibility the next day with a social media announcement that he and Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom would make a joint announcement that evening, but then the governor canceled the announcement 90 minutes later.
Dunleavy did not address the canceled announcement during his appearance on Porcaro’s radio show and spokespeople for the governor have said they do not know what he planned to announce.
Dunleavy has enthusiastically endorsed Trump’s intent to expand oil drilling in Alaska and other natural resource extraction projects, and Trump has praised Dunleavy during their joint appearances.
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