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In a statement, Walker worried that Lieutenant Governor Valerie Davidson would win the three-man race for the governor's seat.
"With more time, I'm confident that Val and I could deliver a message and campaign that could be a victory in this election," Walker wrote in an Instagram post on Friday night. "But there are only 18 days left before polling day, the absentee ballots have already been sent and the Alaskans are already voting, and for now I do not think we can win a three-way race."
The fact that the postal vote has already started and that the advance vote begins on Monday means that Walker's name will likely remain on the ballot.
Walker, an independent Democratic nominee, Mark Begich, a former US senator, explained that Begich's priorities "fit more" on his own than those of Republican candidate Michael Dunleavy.
"This week, I spoke with many Alaskans to determine if Mark Begich or I had a better chance of competing against Mike Dunleavy, and it was decided here that Begich would have the better chances, "Walker wrote.
"All in all, I am convinced that despite my many differences with Mark Begich, his position on important issues (…) is more closely aligned with my priorities for Alaska," he added.
Casey Steinau, chairman of the Democratic Party of Alaska, thanked Mr. Walker for "giving back first place to Alaska".
"Although the Democratic Party did not approve his candidacy this time, we will always be proud of our support in 2014, when we all put Alaska in the forefront," Steinau said in a statement. communicated. "We are also proud of him who put Alaska back for the first time and stepped aside for the sake of all." Bill Walker himself said that he "n & rsquo; had never hesitated to make difficult decisions, and that was certainly one of the most difficult that he had to go through as a governor. "
The governing associations of both parties have tried to make this announcement a positive event for their candidates. The Democratic Governors Association said Walker's move should tip the race to Begich and that the Republican Governors' Association called it a "political charade" by Begich and Walker.
"The announcement of Bill Walker, just three days before the start of the advance poll, only reinforces the reasons why Alaska urgently needs change," said the director of communications of the RGA, Jon Thompson, in a statement. "At a time when Alaska faces tremendous challenges, Mark Begich and Bill Walker are more interested in protecting their own power and their failed Liberal agenda than tackling it. to these critical issues. The Alaskans deserve better than this political masquerade of Mark Begich and Bill Walker. "
"This changes the game in the race of the governor of Alaska." This race immediately becomes an open-air race between a popular Democrat Mark Begich and a Republican Mike Dunleavy, "said Elizabeth Pearson, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. .
Adam Levy and Terence Burlij from CNN contributed to this report.
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