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Governor Bill Walker of Alaska, a political independent who fought for a second term, suspended his campaign on Friday and announced that he was supporting his Democratic challenger. Just weeks before the election, this announcement sent the race – which included three candidates – into chaos.
"I believe we can not win a three-way race," said Mr. Walker, a former Republican who had left his party to be elected as an independent in 2014. Mr. Walker said that He concluded that former US Sen. Mark Begich, Democrat, "has a better chance of running a competitive race" against his Republican opponent, Mike J. Dunleavy, a well-funded former Republican senator.
"Alaskans deserve a choice other than Mike Dunleavy," Walker said. He urged his supporters to vote for Mr. Begich even though his name would remain on the ballot.
The Walker campaign was already in disarray following the sudden resignation of Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott this week, who had stepped down after making unspecified comments that Walker said were "inappropriate".
From the start, Mr. Walker, 67, was not a classical governor; he had no party to support him in the legislature. And the control was already divided. Republicans control the Senate, but a coalition led by Democrats controls the House of Representatives.
Although Mr Walker was a Republican, he served alongside a Democrat, Mr Mallott. Mr Walker also made many enemies among Republicans by defeating Governor Sean Parnell, a Republican who wanted to be reelected in 2014.
Walker's mandate was also marked by fiscal difficulties and a recession in Alaska, which was affected by a slowdown in production and oil prices. Most of the Alaska government is financed by taxes paid by oil companies, and as these revenues dwindled, the budget was constrained. Walker has cut spending, but has also proposed fees and taxes, including the reinstatement of a personal income tax in Alaska; the legislature rejected this notion.
As governor, Walker was careful not to cut off the bridges with Republicans trying to pass a law. But in his statement to the Alaskans on Friday, he took the lead and lit the flames. In a point-by-point analysis of the record and statements of Mr. Dunleavy during the election campaign, Mr. Walker stated that he felt that Mr. Dunleavy was a bad choice for the state, that 39, it is taxes or health care.
"Overall, I feel that despite my many differences with Mark Begich, his position on the important issues I listed above is more in line with my priorities for Alaska," Walker said.
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