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Sullivan heads to Washington, Walker forms transition team
The state won’t certify returns from the Nov. 4 general election until as late as Nov. 28, but after a second round of ballot counting Nov. 11, The Associated Press declared Republican Dan Sullivan the victor in the race for the U.S. Senate, and Sullivan headed for Washington.
Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, already back in D.C. as Congress resumed work after the election, refused to concede, saying he would wait until all the votes were counted.
“This was a hard fought race. As we move forward, I want to emphasize that my door will always be open to all Alaskans,” Sullivan said in a Nov. 12 statement. “While we have challenges to address, the opportunities in Alaska and our country are limitless,” he said.
“Sen. Begich believes every vote deserves to be counted in this election,” campaign manager Susanne Fleek-Green said in an email to The Associated Press. “There are tens of thousands of outstanding votes and Sen. Begich has heard from rural Alaskans that their votes deserve to be counted and their voices deserve to be heard. He will honor those requests.”
The Nov. 11 tally showed 119,579 votes for Sullivan, 48.58 percent, and 111,668 votes for Begich, 45.37 percent.
Libertarian and nonaffiliated candidates took 3.67 and 1.92 percent of the vote, respectively, with 0.46 percent write-in votes.
Walker names transition team The Associated Press said Nov. 12 that it will not be calling the governor’s race until more absentee and questioned votes are counted. Gail Fenumiai, the state elections director, told AP votes will also be counted Friday, Nov. 14, and then Monday through Wednesday as necessary.
The challengers, Bill Walker and Byron Mallott of the “unity” ticket, held 117,130 votes, 47.94 percent, and incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell, running with Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, had 113,126 votes, 46.3 percent, as of the Nov. 11 count.
“The governor’s going to respect the process until every Alaskan’s vote is counted,” Parnell spokesman Luke Miller told AP Nov. 11.
Walker and Mallott didn’t declare victory but did name co-chairs of their transition team Nov. 12.
Walker said in a statement that “while the outcome of the election is not yet certain,” with the Dec. 1 date for swearing in the governor, “we have begun the preliminary steps toward transition so that in the event Byron and I are sworn into office, the transition can be as smooth and efficient as possible.”
Co-chairs of the transition team are Ana Hoffman and Rick Halford. Halford, a Republican, served in the Alaska Legislature for more than 20 years, with multiple terms as Senate president and Senate majority leader. A commercial pilot, he lives in Chugiak and Aleknagik. Hoffman was born and raised in Bethel, is a graduate of Stanford University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is president and CEO of Bethel Native Corp. and co-chair of the Alaska Federation of Natives.
The transition will address a number of policy topics, each of which will become the focus of a subcommittee within the transition team, the campaign said in the Nov. 12 statement: economic development; infrastructure; consumer energy; education; health care; public safety; rural national guard revitalization; corrections; fiscal policy; intergovernmental relations; administration; Arctic policy and climate change; fisheries; wildlife; natural resources and the environment; oil and gas; and subsistence.
Close House races While most victors in races for the Alaska Legislature were clear election night, two House races remained close, both for open seats. As of Nov. 12, Democrat Matt Claman was leading Republican Anand Dubey 3,782, 50.39 percent, to 3,696, 49.24 percent, in district 22 in Anchorage, and Republican Chere Klein was leading nonaffiliated Daniel Ortiz by 3,190, 49.91 percent, to 3,181, 49.77 percent, in district 36 in Southeast.
- Kristen Nelson
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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