Alaska Gov. Walker drops re-election bid

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Bill Walker suspended his re-election campaign Friday, three weeks before Election Day, saying he didn't believe he could win a three-way race.

Walker faced fellow Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Mike Dunleavy before dropping his bid ahead of the Nov. 6 election.

"With more time, I am confident that [Lt. Gov. Valerie Davidson] and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election. But there are only 18 days remaining before election day," he said in an Instagram post announcing the decision.

"In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race. This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds."

Walker's announcement comes three days after former Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott resigned after making "inappropriate comments." Following Mallott's resignation, Davidson was immediately sworn in as Walker's No. 2.

Stopping short of outright endorsing his Democratic competitor in his re-election bid, Walker said Begich's "stance on the important issues ... closely align with my priorities for Alaska."

"This is not the first difficult decision I have made this week, but it is one I know I must make. There simply are no words to express my deepest gratitude to the incomparable, dedicated team of outstanding Alaskans who have served in my administration and to the thousands of supporters, donors, volunteers and campaign staff who have been passionately committed to my re-election," Walker said.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Alaskans, I ran for re-election because I still believe that, more than anything else, Alaska deserves integrity, honesty, and courage. Alaska First is, and cannot only be, a campaign slogan. When I said I ran for governor to do the job, not make the decisions to keep the job, I meant exactly what I said. Every decision I have made as your governor, I have made on the basis of what I believe is best for Alaska. With that said, effective today, I am suspending my campaign for re-election as Governor. With more time, I am confident that Val and I could deliver a message and a campaign that could earn a victory in this election. But there are only 18 days remaining before election day. Absentee ballots have already been mailed, and Alaskans are already voting. In the time remaining, I believe we cannot win a three-way race. This week I have talked to many Alaskans to determine whether I or Mark Begich had a better chance of running a competitive race against Mike Dunleavy. The determination was made that, at this point, Begich has the better odds. Alaskans deserve a competitive race. Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy, whose record and campaign rhetoric indicate he will: eliminate Medicaid Expansion that has provided healthcare access to 44,000 Alaskans, created jobs and brought $1 billion federal dollars into the Alaskan economy while decreasing State healthcare expenditures by $16 million, kept hospitals from closing, and saved lives; defund the Alaska LNG Gasline project that has made historic progress, will create 12,000 high paying construction jobs, 88,000 direct and indirect jobs and deliver low cost energy to our homes and businesses; undo the bipartisan approved sustainable fiscal plan that has resulted in fiscal stability, significantly reduced the deficit, improved our credit rating and preserved the PFD program into perpetuity; cause our most vulnerable to suffer the brunt of the additional $1 billion in budget cuts he vows to make to education, rural Alaska and those receiving healthcare. (Please see the rest of the speech in comments section)

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A post shared by Walker for Alaska (@walkermallottforalaska) on Oct 19, 2018 at 3:50pm PDT