The Republican Governors Association is buying TV advertisements to help elect new nominee for governor Mike Dunleavy. After Dunleavy’s primary win last week, the association spent more than $200,000 for ads in Alaska.

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The Washington, D.C.-based association has been buying TV ads in Alaska since the spring. It’s paying for the ads through the Alaska-based group Families for Alaska’s Future.

There’s been nearly $1.7 million in total this year in ad buys from the RGA and Families for Alaska’s Future with the Anchorage and Fairbanks network affiliates. Most of the money has gone to KTUU-TV in Anchorage.

“The Alaska governor’s race is a very high priority, and it’s a top pick-up opportunity for Republicans,” RGA spokesman Jon Thompson said.

There are 36 gubernatorial elections this year, and the Republicans are defending seats in 26 of them. Thompson said Alaska presents a unique opportunity for the party to pick up a seat.

“One, because Bill Walker has failed the state, and it’s ripe for Republican pick up, and because Mike Dunleavy is the only candidate with a clear plan to reform the state’s economy and make Alaska’s government more efficient,” Thompson said.

The Republican Governors Association is dedicated to electing and supporting Republican governors. In previous years, the association has been funded by corporate donors. They included the businesses owned by prominent party donors Sheldon Adelson and the brothers Charles and David Koch.