Alaska governor’s race becomes wide open — The Hill
The nonpartisan analytical project Cook Political Report has changed its rating of the race for governor of Alaska in the United States from leaning toward the Republican Party to having no clear favorite. The Hill reports.
According to a new AARP poll, former Democratic state House member Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has the support of 40% of respondents. His closest rival, conservative businesswoman Bernadette Wilson of the Republican Party, received 20%. Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson has 14%, while former Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor has 7%.
Impact of ranked-choice voting
Cook Political Report editor for Senate and gubernatorial elections Jessica Taylor noted that the ranked-choice voting system makes Republicans vulnerable. According to her, the party fears that voters will not rank candidates for governor after making their first choice, reducing the Republican advantage when two party candidates are on the ballot.
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According to the AARP poll, one-quarter of Republican voters do not rank any candidate in this race. Taylor believes this helps Kreiss-Tomkins and harms Wilson, who received the most votes among Republicans in the primary.
Candidates’ positions
Wilson called on Bronson and Treg Taylor to withdraw their candidacies and support her. In the Cook Political Report editor’s view, providing Republican voters with more information about the ranked-choice voting system could make the contest closer. At the same time, Kreiss-Tomkins leads among independent voters by 34 percentage points.
Previously, Cook Political Report rated the election to replace Governor Mike Dunleavy, who cannot run because of term limits, as a likely Republican victory. In August, Democrat Tom Begich withdrew from the race and endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins. Both candidates advanced to the general election following the state’s open primary.
