2010 Alaska gubernatorial election
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The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009.[1] Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.[2]
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November 2, 2010
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Parnell: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Berkowitz: 40–50% 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Following the primary election on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, the Democratic ticket consists of Ethan Berkowitz and Diane E. Benson running against Republican Parnell and his running mate, Mead Treadwell.[3] In the general election Parnell/Treadwell defeated Berkowitz/Benson by a wide margin.[4]
Parnell received just over 59% of the vote, the highest percentage for any Alaska gubernatorial candidate in history. This is the only election in Alaskan history where any party won three consecutive gubernatorial elections.
Republican primary
Certified for the ballot
- Gerald L. Heikes, perennial candidate[5]
- Merica Hlatcu[5]
- Sam Little, truck driver and country musician[5]
- Sean Parnell, incumbent Governor[5]
- Ralph Samuels, former Majority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives[5]
- Bill Walker, attorney and former Mayor of Valdez[5]
Declined
- Sarah Palin, former Governor[1]
- Ted Stevens, former U.S. Senator & U.S. Attorney (ran for 2014 U.S. Senate election)[6][7]
Withdrew
- John Harris, former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, announced in January 2010 that he would be seeking re-election to his House seat instead[8]
Polling
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sean Parnell (incumbent) | 54,125 | 49.49 | |
| Republican | Bill Walker | 35,734 | 33.95 | |
| Republican | Ralph Samuels | 15,376 | 14.05 | |
| Republican | Sam Little | 1,661 | 1.54 | |
| Republican | Merica Hlatcu | 626 | 0.56 | |
| Republican | Gerald L. Heikes | 460 | 0.40 | |
| Total votes | 107,982 | 100 | ||
Alaskan Independence-Democratic-Libertarian primary
Candidates
Alaskan Independence Party
- Don Wright, perennial candidate and former president of the Alaska Federation of Natives (1970-1972)
Democratic Party
- Ethan Berkowitz, former Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives, nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and Congress in 2008
- Hollis S. French, State Senator
- Bob Poe, Businessman (Withdrawn)
Libertarian Party
- William Toien
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ethan Berkowitz | 22,607 | 48.69 | |
| Democratic | Hollis French | 18,018 | 38.81 | |
| Independence | Don Wright | 4,104 | 8.84 | |
| Libertarian | William Toien | 1,698 | 3.66 | |
| Total votes | 46,427 | 100 | ||
General election
Candidates
- Ethan Berkowitz (D)
- Berkowitz's running mate is college professor Diane Benson, who ran for Governor in 1998 on the Green Party ticket.
- Sean Parnell (R)
- Parnell's running mate is businessman Mead Treadwell.
- William Toien (L)
- Toien's running mate is Jeffrey Brown.
- Don Wright (AIP)
- Wright's running mate is Michigan Militia founder Norm Olson.[12]
Lieutenant Governor Candidates
In Alaska, the lieutenant governor runs separately from the governor in the primary election. The respective party nominees for each office are then joined as a party ticket in the general election. Occasionally, a minor party will nominate a candidate for governor, but without a running mate.
- Diane E. Benson (Democrat) (won primary)
- Eddie Burke (Republican), Anchorage businessman and radio talk show host
- Craig Campbell (Republican), incumbent (withdrew April 2010)
- Lynette Moreno-Hinz, Anchorage taxicab driver who was involved with a taxi deregulation ballot issue in 2008
- Jay Ramras (Republican), Fairbanks businessman and member of the Alaska House
- Mead Treadwell (Republican) (won primary)
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report[13] | Safe R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg[14] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics[15] | Likely R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[16] | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics[17] | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |
Polling
| Poll source | Dates administered | Sean Parnell (R) |
Ethan Berkowitz (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNN/Time Magazine[18] | October 15–19, 2010 | 62% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports[19] | October 13, 2010 | 52% | 39% |
| CNN/Time Magazine[18] | September 24–28, 2010 | 57% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports[20] | September 19, 2010 | 54% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports[21] | August 31, 2010 | 53% | 43% |
| Public Policy Polling[22] | August 27–28, 2010 | 55% | 37% |
| Basswood Research[23] | August 28–29, 2010 | 54% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports[24] | July 15, 2010 | 53% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports[25] | May 6, 2010 | 58% | 30% |
Fundraising
Campaign activity disclosure reports are filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. For the period ending February 1, 2010, the candidates and others subject to filing have reported the following to APOC:
| Candidate | Cash on hand | Candidate's own money |
Total income | Total expenses | Total debts | Surplus/ (deficit) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkowitz | $0 | $10,295.77 | $128,178.52 | $19,500.20 | $0 | $108,678.32 |
| Parnell | $0 | $0 | $214,696.77 | $93,842.38 | $2,025.00 | $123,150.38 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Sean Parnell (incumbent) | 151,318 | 59.06 | +10.7 | |
| Democratic | Ethan Berkowitz | 96,519 | 37.67 | −3.3 | |
| Independence | Don Wright | 4,775 | 1.86 | +1.3 | |
| Libertarian | Billy Toien | 2,682 | 1.05 | +0.7 | |
| Write-in votes | 898 | 0.35 | +0.2 | ||
| Majority | 54,799 | 21.39 | |||
| Turnout | 256,192 | 52.3 | |||
| Republican hold | Swing | +14.26 | |||
Boroughs and census areas that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Ketchikan Gateway Borough (largest city: Ketchikan)
- Petersburg
- Bethel Census Area (largest city: Bethel)
- Kusilvak Census Area (largest city: Hooper Bay)
- North Slope Borough (largest city: Utqiaġvik)
- Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area (largest city: Craig)
- Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area (largest city: Fort Yukon)
- Juneau
- Haines Borough (largest census-designated place: Haines)
- Aleutians East Borough (largest city: Akutan)