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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.
Alaska is a U.S. state in the northwest extremity of North America, just across the Bering Strait from Asia. The Canadian province of British Columbia and territory of Yukon border the state to the east, its most extreme western part is Attu Island, and it has a maritime border with Russia to the west across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas—southern parts of the Arctic Ocean. The Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest. It is the largest state in the United States by area and the seventh largest subnational division in the world. In addition, it is the 3rd least populous and the most sparsely populated of the 50 United States; nevertheless, it is by far the most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel in North America: its population—estimated at 738,432 by the United States Census Bureau in 2015— is more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska's economy is dominated by the fishing, natural gas, and oil industries, resources which it has in abundance. Military bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy.
The three classes of United States Senators are made up of 33 or 34 Senate seats each. The purpose of the classes is to determine which Senate seats will be up for election in a given year. The three groups are staggered so that senators in one of the groups are up for election every two years, rather than having all 100 seats up for election at once. For example, the 33 Senate seats of class 1 were up for election in 2018, the elections for the 33 seats of class 2 will take place in 2020, and the elections for the 34 seats of class 3 will be held in 2022.
Incumbent Republican Governor Sean Parnell ran for re-election to a second full term in office, but incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell did not; he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary 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.
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major political parties in the United States; the other is its historic rival, the Democratic Party.
Sean R. Parnell is an American politician of the Republican Party. He succeeded Sarah Palin in July 2009 to become the tenth governor of Alaska and served until 2014. Parnell was elected governor in his own right in 2010 with 59.06% of the vote, as the largest percentage margin of any Alaska governor since statehood. In 2014, he narrowly lost his bid for re-election and has since returned to work in the private sector.
Louis Mead Treadwell II is an American businessman and politician who served as lieutenant governor of Alaska from 2010 to 2014. Treadwell is the former Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission serving from 2006 to 2010. He is a member of the Republican Party and was a candidate for the 2014 U.S. Senate election in Alaska.
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.
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. With an estimated 298,192 residents in 2016, it is Alaska's most populous city and contains more than 40 percent of the state's total population; among the 50 states, only New York has a higher percentage of residents who live in its most populous city. All together, the Anchorage metropolitan area, which combines Anchorage with the neighboring Matanuska-Susitna Borough, had a population of 401,635 in 2016, which accounts for more than half of the state's population. At 1,706 square miles of land area, the city is the fourth largest city by land in the United States and larger than the smallest state, Rhode Island, at 1,212 square miles.
The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. Tracing its heritage back to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison's Democratic-Republican Party, the modern-day Democratic Party was founded around 1828 by supporters of Andrew Jackson, making it the world's oldest active political party. The Democrats' dominant worldview was once social conservatism and economic liberalism while populism was its leading characteristic in the rural South. In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt ran as a third-party candidate in the Progressive Party, beginning a switch of political platforms between the Democratic and Republican Party over the coming decades, and leading to Woodrow Wilson being elected as the first fiscally progressive Democrat. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal coalition in the 1930s, the Democratic Party has also promoted a social liberal platform, supporting social justice.
The Alaska Permanent Fund is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska State Constitution under Governor Jay Hammond. From February 1976 until April 1980, the Department of Revenue Treasury Division managed the state's Permanent Fund assets, until, in 1980, the Alaska State Legislature created the APFC. As of the end of 2016, the fund is worth nearly $55 billion that has been funded by oil revenues.
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.
The Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. It was founded by political analyst Charlie Cook in 1984. Coverage of Senate and Gubernatorial races is headed up by Senior Editor Jennifer Duffy and coverage of House races is led by David Wasserman. Amy Walter serves as national editor.
Governing is a national monthly magazine, edited and published since 1987 in Washington, D.C., whose subject area is state and local government in the United States. The magazine covers policy, politics and the management of government enterprises. Its subject areas include such issues as government finance, land use, economic development, the environment, technology and transportation.
Stuart Rothenberg is an American editor, publisher, and political analyst. He is best known for his biweekly political newsletter The Rothenberg Political Report, now known as Inside Elections. He was as also regular columnist at Roll Call and an occasional op-ed contributor to other publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Orlando Sentinel.
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 gubernatorial and U.S. Senate incumbents from different political parties have been defeated in the same state. [14]
Mark Peter Begich is an American politician who was a United States Senator from Alaska from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was Mayor of Anchorage from 2003 to 2009.
The 2006 Alaska gubernatorial general election took place on November 7, 2006. The former mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin, was elected governor.
Hypothetical polling | ||||||||||||||
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Sean Parnell | 80,903 | 75.86 | |
Republican | Russ Millette | 11,296 | 10.59 | |
Republican | Brad Snowden | 10,594 | 9.93 | |
Republican | Gerald L. "Tap" Heikes | 3,855 | 3.61 | |
Total votes | 106,648 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Republican | Dan Sullivan | 74,758 | 70.70 | |
Republican | Kelly Wolf | 30,985 | 29.30 | |
Total votes | 105,743 | 100 |
Candidates from the Alaska Democratic Party, Alaska Libertarian Party and Alaskan Independence Party appear on the same ballot, with the highest-placed candidate from each party receiving that party's nomination.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Byron Mallott | 42,327 | 66.89 | |
Democratic | Phil Stoddard | 10,514 | 16.62 | |
Libertarian | Carolyn Clift | 10,436 | 16.49 | |
Total votes | 63,277 | 100 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
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Democratic | Hollis French | 40,271 | 62.08 | |
Democratic | Bob Williams | 16,358 | 25.22 | |
Libertarian | Andrew C. Lee | 8,238 | 12.70 | |
Total votes | 64,867 | 100 |
Parnell drew criticism during his re-election campaign over his support of billions in tax reductions for the petrochemical industry as well an exploding scandal featuring five years of alleged cover ups with regard to rampant sexual abuse, cronyism, corruption and whistleblower suppression, in the Alaska National Guard. [37] [38] [39]
In October 2014, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed Walker and Mallott. The endorsement was prompted by Parnell's oil and gas industry tax cuts, which dismantled her administration's "Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share" (ACES) plan. She had previously supported a referendum to repeal the tax cuts, which was narrowly defeated [40] in August 2014. Walker and Mallott made the repeal of the tax cuts a centerpiece of their campaign. [41]
Source | Ranking | As of |
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The Cook Political Report [42] | Tossup | November 3, 2014 |
Sabato's Crystal Ball [43] | Lean I | November 3, 2014 |
Rothenberg Political Report [44] | Tossup | November 3, 2014 |
Real Clear Politics [45] | Tossup | November 3, 2014 |
Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Sean Parnell (R) | Byron Mallott (D) | Bill Walker (I) | Other | Undecided |
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Public Policy Polling | November 1–2, 2014 | 1,052 | ± 3% | 45% | — | 46% | 4% [46] | 5% |
47% | — | 48% | — | 6% | ||||
Rasmussen Reports | October 27–30, 2014 | 887 | ± 4% | 43% | — | 50% | — | 7% |
CBS News/NYT/YouGov | October 16–23, 2014 | 561 | ± 9% | 42% | — | 39% | 0% | 20% |
Hellenthal & Associates | October 15–21, 2014 | 403 | ± 4.88% | 44.3% | — | 42.5% | 4.6% [47] | 8.6% |
Rasmussen Reports | October 8–12, 2014 | 700 | ± 4% | 41% | — | 50% | 2% | 7% |
Fox News | October 4–7, 2014 | 706 | ± 3.5% | 42% | — | 37% | 8% [48] | 13% |
CNN/ORC | October 1–6, 2014 | 704 LV | ± 3.5% | 45% | — | 51% | — | 3% |
875 RV | ± 3.4% | 46% | — | 49% | 1% | 5% | ||
Hickman Analytics | September 26–October 2, 2014 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 46% | — | 38% | 7% [49] | 10% |
CBS News/NYT/YouGov | September 20–October 1, 2014 | 593 | ± 5% | 40% | — | 45% | 1% | 14% |
Rasmussen Reports | September 23–24, 2014 | 713 | ± 4% | 42% | — | 47% | 5% | 6% |
Public Policy Polling | September 18–21, 2014 | 880 | ± 3.3% | 41% | — | 42% | 5% [50] | 13% |
41% | — | 45% | — | 14% | ||||
Hays Research/AFL-CIO | September 13–14, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.38% | 30% | — | 37% | 33% | |
Hays Research* | August 20–22, 2014 | 474 | ± 4.5% | 40% | — | 43% | — | 15% |
Rasmussen Reports | August 20–21, 2014 | 750 | ± 4% | 47% | 36% | — | 11% | 6% |
Public Policy Polling | July 31–August 1, 2014 | 673 | ± 3.8% | 37% | 22% | 20% | 5% [51] | 16% |
48% | 37% | — | — | 14% | ||||
41% | — | 40% | — | 19% | ||||
CBS News/NYT/YouGov | July 5–24, 2014 | 450 | ± 5.2% | 55% | 29% | — | 6% | 8% |
Public Policy Polling | May 8–11, 2014 | 582 | ± 4.1% | 37% | 27% | 17% | 4% [52] | 15% |
Public Policy Polling | January 30–February 1, 2014 | 850 | ± 3.4% | 41% | 25% | 16% | 3% [52] | 15% |
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Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
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Independent | Bill Walker/Byron Mallott | 134,658 | 48.1% | +48.1% | |
Republican | Sean Parnell/Dan Sullivan | 128,435 | 45.9% | -13.22% | |
Libertarian | Carolyn Clift/Andrew C. Lee | 8,985 | 3.21% | +2.16% | |
Constitution | J. R. Myers/Maria Rensel | 6,987 | 2.5% | +2.5% | |
Write-ins | Others | 893 | 0.32% | -0.04% | |
Majority | 6,223 | 2.22% | |||
Turnout | 279,958 | 55% | |||
Independent gain from Republican | Swing | ||||
Ethan A. Berkowitz is an American politician who is the current mayor of Anchorage, Alaska. From 1997 to 2007 he was the Alaska State Representative for District 26, serving as the Democratic Party Minority Leader from 1999 to 2007. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2006, for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2008 and for governor in 2010. He was elected mayor of Anchorage in 2015, and reelected to a second term in 2018.
The Alaska Democratic Party is the affiliate branch of the United States Democratic Party in the state of Alaska, headquartered in Anchorage.
Hollis S. French II is a Democratic member who served in the Alaska Senate, serving from 2003 to 2015. He was minority leader from January 2014 until he left office. During this time, French authored an unsuccessful bill to strike down the state's same-sex marriage ban.
Byron I. Mallott is an American politician, elder, tribal activist, and business executive from the state of Alaska. Mallott is an Alaska Native leader of Tlingit heritage, and the leader of the Kwaash Ké Kwaan clan. He was lieutenant governor of Alaska, from December 2014 until his resignation on October 16, 2018. He also previously served as the Mayor of Yakutat, the Mayor of Juneau, the President of the Alaska Federation of Natives and the executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund.
The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009. Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.
Daniel A. Sullivan is an American politician and member of the Republican Party from the state of Alaska who served as the Mayor of Anchorage from 2009 to 2015 and on the Anchorage Assembly from 1999 to 2008. The son of Anchorage's longest-serving mayor, George M. Sullivan, he was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska in the 2014 election but he and incumbent Governor Sean Parnell were defeated by the ticket of Independent Bill Walker and Democrat Byron Mallott.
The 1990 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 1990, for the open seat of Governor of Alaska. In 1989, incumbent Governor Steve Cowper, a Democrat, had announced that he would not seek re-election for a second term.
The 2014 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 4, 2014, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the election of the governor of Alaska, 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.
The 2014 Connecticut gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Connecticut, concurrently with elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 4, 2014 in 36 states and three territories, concurrent with other elections during the 2014 United States elections.
The 2014 Minnesota gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor of Minnesota concurrently with the election to Minnesota'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.
The 2014 South Dakota gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota, concurrently with the election of South Dakota'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.
The 2014 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska was held on November 4, 2014, to elect the U.S. Representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district, who will represent the state of Alaska in the 114th United States Congress. The election coincided with the elections of a Class II U.S. Senator and the Governor of Alaska, 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.
Jerry Ward is an American politician and businessman.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, 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.
William Martin Walker is an American attorney and politician who served as the 11th governor of Alaska, from 2014 to 2018. He is the second native-born governor of Alaska after William A. Egan.
The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the U.S. Representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district, who will represent the state of Alaska in the 114th United States Congress. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
The 2018 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. In the primaries for recognized political parties, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately. The winners of each respective primary for governor and lieutenant governor then become a joint ticket in the general election for their political party.
Valerie Nurr'araaluk Davidson is an American politician who served as lieutenant governor of Alaska, from October to December 2018. She was sworn in after Byron Mallott's abrupt resignation from the post on October 16, 2018.