Alaska Governor Vetoes Campaign Donation Limit Bill

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed HB 16, a bill passed by the Alaska Legislature that would have reimposed limits on the amount of money individuals can donate to political candidates. The veto occurred in July 2026, with Dunleavy stating the matter will instead go before Alaska voters in an August ballot measure. HB 16 passed the Alaska Legislature on the last day of the 2026 regular session, following two earlier failed attempts to pass similar donation limits in 2022 and 2024. If approved by voters, the ballot measure would cap individual contributions at $2,000 per donor per candidate for each two-year election cycle. The outcome of the August ballot measure remains unresolved, as does whether the Legislature will attempt further action on campaign contribution limits regardless of the vote's result. A separate report on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's 2025 year-end legislative actions—in which she signed 713 bills and vetoed 140 of 856 bills passed by the state Legislature, including AI regulations, consumer protections, and a prison reform bill—describes an unrelated state process and provides no corroborating or additional detail on the Alaska campaign finance matter.