Bill Walker, independent candidate for Governor of Alaska, has 47.83% of the vote, whereas the Republican nominee, incumbent Sean Parnell, has 46.42% of the vote. The Libertarian nominee, Carolyn Clift, has 3.00%; the Constitution Party nominee, J. R. Myers, has 2.47%. However, only 45% of the ballots have been counted. The Democrats have no gubernatorial nominee.
If Walker wins, he will be the only independent or minor party candidate for statewide office to have been elected in the November 4, 2014 election. Here is a link to the Alaska Division of Elections web page.
If the final tally shows the Libertarian gubernatorial nominee below 3%, the party will need to increase its registration to 3% of the number of votes cast in the election, in order to remain ballot-qualified. It appears the Constitution Party failed in its attempt to poll 3% for Governor and to thereby become a ballot-qualified party. The Constitution Party is also doing a voter registration drive, but has much further to go than the Libertarians do. The November 2014 registration tally shows 7,182 Libertarian registrants, but 212 Constitution Party registrants.
“…but 212 Constitution Party registrants.”
Mr. Myers, why don’t you ask these 212 Constitution(al) Party registrants to go and re-register Alaskan Independence Party, and take on the “do-nothing” leadership of this neglected party?
The voters showed you and your group with your pitiful 2.5.% of the vote, they are not interested in a Constitution(al) Party. But Alaska voters have already proven they will support the AIP when it puts forth good candidates and holds fast to good issues.
The Alaskan Independence Party does not belong to its handful of leaders who, through their inattentiveness, allowed a person to qualify for U.S. Senator, then withdraw at the last hour before the party could name a replacement.
Had you and the other 211 Constitution(al) Party members already been active in the AIP, this political stunt could have been prevented, and the party would have had the Myers-Rensel gubernatorial ticket, plus a good candidate for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative.
So Mr. Myers, please go back to the AIP and shape up this historic and potentially powerful political party. The “galloping Moose is running for you.” “Why not run with it.”
The results confused you. The 44.8% is turnout of registered voters. 100% of precincts are reporting.
But a different source is reporting 73% reporting. Alaska permits mail ballots to be counted if postmarked on election day, so it is possible that the 73% assumes all mail ballots will be returned. In 2010, around 250,000 votes were cast, but that included the Murkowski write-in campaign. But the voters would have expected all 3 statewides to be close this year.
Currently the Libertarians are at 3.0039%. The test in statute is of total votes cast for governor. Conceivably it might be necessary to examine the putative write-in votes (636 counted) to determine if they were a vote cast. There does not appear to be any registered write-in candidates for governor, while there were 4 listed for senator, and 1 for US representative.
You may need an asterisk for no Democratic nominee. Walker’s running mate Byron Mallot was nominated by the Democrats as their gubernatorial nominee. As a condition of his running on a “unity” ticket, Walker was required to drop his Republican registration, while Mallot remains a registered Democrat.
Alaska should let all candidates appear on the primary ballot, and then have the top two advance to the general election.
Jim Riley:
Obviously, you are a supporter of Top Two which will eventually lead to a One Party State.
Thanks, but not thanks, Jim.