Mike Dunleavy Net Worth, Family, wife and Political Career

Michael James Dunleavy is an American educator and politician serving as the 12th governor of Alaska. Dunleavy was a Republican member of the Alaska Senate from 2013 to 2018. He defeated former Democratic us senator Mark Begich within the 2018 gubernatorial election after incumbent governor Bill Walker dropped out of the race.

Dunleavy is from Scranton, Pennsylvania, and maybe a 1979 graduate of Scranton Central High School. He completed a baccalaureate in history at Misericordia University in 1983. He earned his academic degree in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He moved to Alaska in 1983 and pursued a career as an educator, principal, and faculty district superintendent. before his election to the Alaska Senate, Dunleavy served on the Matanuska-Susitna Borough Board, including two years as the boards president.

Mike Dunleavy Net Worth

Mike Dunleavy estimated Net Worth is $ 5 Million in 2025.

Mike Dunleavy Wife and Children

Mike Dunleavy Married Rose Newlin. They have 3 Children.

State Legislative Career

Dunleavy challenged incumbent senator Linda Menard (redistricted from District G) for the District D August 28, 2012 Republican Primary and won with 2,802 votes (57.42%). He was unopposed in the November 6 election and won with 11,724 votes (94.24%) against write-in candidates.

Governor of Alaska

In 2017, Mike Dunleavy announced his candidacy for the 2018 Alaska gubernatorial race but stepped back in September of the same year, citing heart problems. However, by December 2017, Dunleavy re-entered the race, fully committing to his campaign by resigning from his Alaska Senate seat on January 15, 2018. Retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Mike Shower was appointed by Governor Bill Walker to fill Dunleavy's Senate seat, an appointment later confirmed by the Alaska Senate caucus after several other candidates were rejected.

Dunleavy and Kevin Meyer became the Republican nominees for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively, and secured victory in the November 2018 election. Dunleavy was sworn in as governor on December 3, 2018, and subsequently appointed Kevin Clarkson as Alaska’s attorney general.

On June 28, 2019, Governor Dunleavy used his line-item veto authority to implement significant budget cuts totaling $433 million. These included a 41% reduction in state funding for the University of Alaska, amounting to $130 million. That same day, Dunleavy also vetoed $335,000 from the budget of the Alaska Supreme Court, citing the Court's ruling that the state was constitutionally required to fund elective abortions as his rationale.

In September 2020, Dunleavy agreed to reimburse the state $2,800 over allegations that partisan advertisements had been purchased with state funds. While denying any wrongdoing, Dunleavy stated that resolving the issue was in the best interest of the state.

Public backlash over his budget cuts, particularly those impacting public assistance, education, and the University of Alaska, sparked a recall campaign against Dunleavy on July 15, 2019. To move forward, the campaign needed to collect 28,501 signatures, representing approximately 10% of the voting population in Alaska’s last general election.

By September 5, 2019, the campaign had gathered and submitted 49,006 signatures to the Alaska Division of Elections. However, on November 4, 2019, the Division declined to certify the petition. Alaska Attorney General Kevin Clarkson argued that while the campaign had met the signature requirements and paid the necessary fees, the four allegations against Dunleavy did not meet the legal grounds for recall—neglect of duty, incompetence, or lack of fitness. The recall organizers vowed to challenge this decision in court.

In January 2020, Anchorage Superior Court Judge Eric Aarseth overturned the Division’s decision, ruling that the recall petition could move forward. The state appealed the ruling to the Alaska Supreme Court, which upheld Aarseth’s decision on May 8, 2020, affirming the recall effort's validity. While the "Recall Dunleavy" campaign failed to gather enough signatures to trigger a recall election by November 2020, organizers pledged to continue collecting signatures with hopes of holding a recall election in 2021.