Alaska governor's race: Parnell trailed Walker all night

[alp227]

Source: Dispatch News

Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker held a slim lead over incumbent Republican Gov. Sean Parnell in Tuesday’s general election, but the outcome was far from certain even as the last of the state’s far-flung precincts reported their tallies.

Shortly after midnight Wednesday, with all 441 of the state's precincts reporting, Walker and running mate Byron Mallott held a slim lead of about 3,165 votes over Parnell and his ticket mate, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan. The election appeared to be heading into one of Alaska’s infamous nail-biting contests.

If Walker holds his lead, he and Mallott would make Alaska history by becoming the first nonpartisan ticket elected to the state’s top executive offices.

“The lead is small but I'd rather be in this side than the other,” Walker said at his campaign gathering in Anchorage’s Performing Arts Center. “I won't crack the champagne bottle till it's over.”

Read more: http://www.adn.com/article/20141104/alaska-governors-race-parnell-trailed-walker-all-night

[Blue_In_AK]

1. This and the ballot initiatives are bright spots

in Alaska's otherwise dismal election. I don't think I could take another four years of Parnell's smarmy-ass mug on my TV. Mark Begich has not yet conceded as there are still several thousand absentee and questioned ballots that could swing his way. This is the way he always wins elections, by a few hundred votes.

[bravenak]

2. At least I have this to comfort myself with...

Lisa will be up for reelection next time and maybe Mark can take it from her then. We did pass Cannibis, minimum wage, and the Bristol bay measures, so I will at least have sonething to relax myself with for the interim. And Don Young did less well than last time, it seems and will be 83 next round, and is crazy as cat shit, so maybe we can take that next time too. Alaska is very hard to win as a democrat, a bit libertarian, and horribly conservative. But we have plenty of liberals here, we just need to give the younger one a reason to vote with us. Do something to increase the base. We have no real Jr. College to speak of, we need that here.

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Don might be dead in two years.

I don't want to wish death on anyone, but that's probably the only way we'll ever get rid of the old fossil. Forrest was just too unknown. If someone like Bill Wielechowski had run against Don, we might have taken it, but I do kind of like Bill down there in Juneau rattling their cages.

[bravenak]

4. I'm glad you said it for me.

He looks most unhealthy to me lately, and is acting worse than usual. I wish Bill HAD run against him, when I lived in Mountain View, he came to my door to make sure I was going to vote in 08. I had not voted before in Alaska. I was already going to vote for Obama, and I decided to vote for him, since he came to my door and asked. Nice guy.

Forrest did well for such a young guy, he had alot of heart and is very intelligent. I hope ge takes that fire and puts it to use in our state or city government somewhere, or runs again for Congress. I was impressed by how much he did with so little. Don Young has old money, big money, and puts men in the GROUND for touching him, and Forrest still got >40 percent of the vote.

Things will swing our way next time if we spend our energy on our base and getting the younger people to vote democratic. Then it will become a habit with most.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. Bill is wonderful.

Shannyn Moore always calls him "the best Bill in Juneau." . He was awesome on the SB 21 thing.

[bluestateguy]

6. I'm not sure I can support a candidate endorsed by Sarah Palin

nt

[Blue_In_AK]

7. If she was the only person who supported him, maybe,

but the ticket has wide support across the political spectrum. Sarah only acts crazy for the national media. She's actually fairly sane when she talks about Alaska issues. (Aside from brawls and such.)