Alaska Governor Bill Walker appears no longer able to hide the fact that he’s really a Democrat.
This past Friday, Walker announced that he will be running for re-election in the Democrat primary.
Walker has long used his status as an “Independent” to distance himself from the unpopular Democrat brand in Alaska and raise his national profile.
But, this label was little more than a cover for his true allegiances. In 2010, Walker supported the Democrat nominee for governor and, in 2014, he made their nominee his running mate. In exchange for proving his loyalty, Alaska Democrat leaders strongly supported his candidacy.
Since taking office, Walker has held his side of the bargain, completely embracing the Democrat agenda of higher taxes and massive deficits. The results speak for themselves, as Alaska remains in an economic “crisis” with the highest unemployment and lowest wage growth out of any state in the country.
Alaskans deserve better than another four years of Walker’s failed Democrat policies.
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Alaska Gov. Walker aims for Democratic primary in re-election bid
Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov Byron Mallott will enter the Democratic primary in August, a change from their previous plan to go straight to the November ballot by gathering enough signatures to run as candidates not affiliated with any party.
Walker is a former Republican who announced in 2013 that he would run for governor in 2014 as an independent. Mallott is a Democrat.
"This is a path that allows them to run together, to win, to be competitive," Walker-Mallott campaign manager John-Henry Heckendorn said Friday.
Walker and Mallott, seeking a second four-year term as a team, had gathered about half the number of signatures they would need to appear as unaffiliated candidates on the Nov. 6 general election ballot, Heckendorn said.
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