The 1990 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990 for the post of governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

 of Alaska

Alaska

Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...

. In a rare third-party win in American politics, former Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 Governor Walter Hickel, running on the ticket of the Alaskan Independence Party

Alaskan Independence Party

The Alaskan Independence Party is a political party in the U.S. state of Alaska that advocates an in-state referendum which includes the option of Alaska becoming an independent country...

, defeated Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 candidate Tony Knowles

Tony Knowles (politician)

Anthony Carroll Knowles is an American Democratic politician and businessman who served as the seventh Governor of Alaska from December 1994 to December 2002. Barred from seeking a third consecutive term as governor in 2002, he ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2004 and again for governor in...

 and Republican candidate Arliss Sturgulewski.

Democratic Party

The major Democratic candidates were Tony Knowles, former Mayor of Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

 (from 1981 to 1987) and future governor (from 1994 to 2002), and incumbent Lieutenant Governor Stephen McAlpine, who had served since 1982. Knowles defeated McAlpine in the Democratic primary.

Republican Party

In the Republican primary, state Senator Arliss Sturgulewski, the Republican nominee from 1986, defeated Jim Campbell, Rick Halford, and Don Wright.

Alaskan Independence Party

The initial Alaskan Independence Party candidate was John Lindauer, who won the primary. However, many conservative Republicans, dissatisfied with Sturgulewski's positions on social issues such as abortion, persuaded former Republican Governor Walter Hickel to run on the Alaskan Independence ticket. The party pushed Lindauer aside to make way for Hickel and lieutenant governor candidate Jack Coghill

Jack Coghill

John Bruce "Jack" Coghill was the eighth lieutenant governor of Alaska, serving from 1990 to 1994 under Governor Walter Hickel. Both were members of the Alaskan Independence Party...

.

Results

Former Governor Walter Hickel defeated Knowles, Sturgulewski, and other minor candidates to return to the governor's office.