In 1989, incumbent governor Steve Cowper, a Democrat, had announced that he would not seek re-election for a second term.

[1] In a rare third-party win in American politics, former Republican governor Wally Hickel, running on the ticket of the Alaskan Independence Party, defeated Democratic candidate Tony Knowles and Republican candidate Arliss Sturgulewski.

The initial Alaskan Independence Party candidate was John Lindauer, who won the primary.

The party pushed Lindauer aside to make way for Hickel and lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Jack Coghill.

Environmentalist and homeless rights activist Michael O'Callaghan ran as the candidate of The Political Party.