In an effort to consolidate the political left’s support around one Democratic candidate for Alaska governor, former Alaska legislator Tom Begich has suspended his campaign and endorsed hard-left Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.
Kreiss-Tomkins and Begich placed first and second, respectively in the recent Aug. 18 jungle primary, outpacing Republicans Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson, who finished third and fourth in the 17-member field.
Only the top four candidates are permitted to advance to the ranked-choice general election in November. By dropping out, Begich opens the door for the fifth-place finisher, former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor, to move into the top four and thereby qualify for the Nov. 3 ballot.
If Taylor agrees to stay in the race, the general election would see one Democrat and three Republicans on the ballot, a scenario that would divide GOP voters and donors.
It also creates a situation in the general election where conservative voters would need to rank all three GOP candidates on the ballot to ensure that their votes are not tossed out. If they fail to do so, Kreiss-Tomkins could win the governor’s race while failing to earn the majority of votes. This is a situation created by Alaska’s confusing ranked-choice voting system.
“The data we’ve seen makes clear that the strongest path to winning in November is not two Democratic candidates competing for the same donors and resources,” Begich said in a video announcing his decision to withdraw from the race. “It’s bringing those people together behind one ticket.”
Begich called on his supporters to put their “strength behind one ticket.”
“Rather than competing over visions that share so much in common, we’re choosing to put our strength behind a shared vision for Alaska,” he said.
Whether Republicans can do the same is unclear. Even if Bronson and Taylor were to drop from the race, that would only serve to move Republicans Click Bishop and Adam Crum into the top four, still leaving three Republicans in the final round, with more waiting in the wings.
The GOP difficulty stems from the fact that the gubernatorial race included 12 Republicans, but just two Democrats and three candidates who were nonaffiliated.
Monday, Aug. 31, is the deadline for candidates to withdraw from the general election ballot.
