Gov. Bill Walker and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott filed for reelection together on Aug. 21, at the Division of Elections in Juneau, both as non-partisan candidates, commonly referred to as “independent.”
Walker, a lifelong Republican, changed his party affiliation to non-partisan in 2014. Mallott is a Democrat.
Officials at the Division of Elections said the only other candidates to file through Aug. 21 have been Sen. Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, who is running in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor, and Michael Sheldon, of Petersburg, who is running in the Republican primary for governor.
Serving as governor for the people and state I love has been the honor of a lifetime,” Walker said. “Byron Mallott and I have refused to put off the difficult decisions because doing so would jeopardize future generations. We believe that independent leadership that relentlessly puts Alaska’s priorities first is critical to finishing the work we have started to stabilize and build Alaska.”
Both are lifelong Alaskans born into the Territory of Alaska, and each served as mayors of their communities while in their 20s.
Walker worked as a carpenter, teamster and laborer during construction of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, then went on to become an oil and gas and municipal attorney prior to becoming governor.
Mallott, a former top official with SeaAlaska Corp., has served as executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund and as president of the Alaska Federation of Natives.
To get their name on the general election ballot for November 208, each candidate must gather 3,213 signatures. They will run separate campaigns until the collected signatures are submitted on Aug. 21, 2018, the date of the primary election.
As separate candidates, they can participate in shared campaign activities as long as each candidate shares an equal cost of the event, and files a shared campaign activity form with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.
The Division of Elections posts the names of all candidates as they file at www.elections.alaska.gov
