On September 26, an Alaska state trial court ruled in favor of the joint independent-Democratic ticket for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, and against the Republican Party official who brought the lawsuit. Earlier this month the Democratic nominee for Governor withdrew, and became the Lieutenant Governor running mate for independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker. A Republican Party official filed a lawsuit against the Elections Division and against the joint ticket. He argued the Democratic Party should be forced to keep its gubernatorial nominee on the November ballot. He also argued that the independent gubernatorial candidate had no right to choose any replacement Lieutenant Governor candidate to replace his original nominee, who had withdrawn to facilitate the fusion arrangement. See this story.
The case is Strait v Fenumiai, 3AN-14-09199-ci. Here is the oral decision.
This is a good ruling. I consider it as much a victory for Independents as I do for a party (in this case the Democratic Part) to decide who it wants to support for public office. There is a 50/50 chance this Independent ticket is going to be victorious in November. I trust it happens. Because if it does, it carries an underlying message to voters that an Independent can win and one does not waste their vote in voting for an Independent, or a 3rd party, if such happens to be the case. I am not endorsing the platform of this Independent ticket, only its right to be on the ballot, and this one little victory against the 2 party monopoly.