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| Elections in Alaska |
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The 2014 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska, concurrently with the election of Alaska's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Incumbent Republican governor Sean Parnell ran for re-election to a second full term in office, but incumbent lieutenant governor Mead Treadwell instead chose to run for the U.S. Senate. Primary elections were held on August 19, 2014, to determine party nominees for the office, with separate primaries held for governor and lieutenant governor and the winners running together on the same ticket.
Parnell was renominated; his running mate was Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan.[1] The Democrats nominated businessman and former executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Byron Mallott, whose running mate was State Senator Hollis French. Also running as an independent was former Republican mayor of Valdez Bill Walker, whose running mate was Craig Fleener, the former deputy commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
On September 2, 2014, Walker and Mallott merged their campaigns to appear on the November ballot as a single independent ticket, which the Alaska Democratic Party endorsed. On this ticket, Walker ran for governor with Mallott as his running mate. Both candidates' former running mates withdrew.[2] Parnell was considered vulnerable, as reflected in his low approval ratings. The consensus among The Cook Political Report, Governing, The Rothenberg Political Report, Sabato's Crystal Ball, Daily Kos Elections, and others was that the contest was a tossup. Former Republican governor Sarah Palin, who had praised Parnell as her successor when she resigned in 2009, endorsed Walker and Mallott, taking issue with Parnell's tax cuts for the oil and gas industry.
On November 7, Walker and Mallott held a 3,165-vote lead,[3] which on November 11 had grown to 4,004 out of some 244,000 votes cast, or 1.6%.[4] Walker began preparing for a transition but the race remained officially uncalled and Parnell refused to concede.[5][6][7][8][9] On November 14, after Walker and Mallott extended their lead to 4,634 votes,[10] multiple media outlets called the race.[11][12] Parnell conceded the following day.[13] His loss – coupled with Democrat Mark Begich's defeat in the U.S. Senate election – marked just the fifth time in the last 50 years in which an incumbent governor and senator from different political parties were defeated in the same state in the same election cycle.[14][a]
- ^ Not to be confused with former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources Dan Sullivan who ran as the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate election which was held at the same time.
- ^ "Walker, Mallott to join forces in governor's race". Alaska Dispatch News. September 1, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
- ^ "In governor's race, Walker has edge -- or maybe not". Alaska Dispatch News. November 6, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "Highs, lows for campaigns as votes are tallied in Alaska election". Alaska Dispatch News. November 11, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- ^ "Parnell says race isn't over as Walker moves ahead with transition planning". Alaska Dispatch News. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Governor's race uncalled; Walker plans transition". Alaska Journal. November 13, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Walker introduces co-chairs of transition team". Houston Chronicle. November 12, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Number of uncounted votes grows in Alaska U.S. Senate race". Alaska Dispatch News. November 7, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ "More than 50,000 votes remain to be counted in heated Alaska races". Alaska Dispatch News. November 10, 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- ^ "Friday vote count makes Walker victory in race for governor look certain". Alaska Dispatch News. November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Alaska Governor Race: Incumbent Republican Sean Parnell Loses To Independent Bill Walker". The Huffington Post. November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Unity ticket defeats Alaska GOP Gov. Sean Parnell in drawn-out race". Los Angeles Times. November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ "Parnell concedes governor's race". Alaska Dispatch News. November 15, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ Ostermeier, Eric (November 19, 2014). "Mark Begich and Sean Parnell Join Small Group in Defeat". Smart Politics.
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