Governor Walker, compelled last week to bow out of the race to run Alaska for another term, was a life-long Republican until his party went so far right he re-registered as an Independent to run against Sean Parnell in 2014. A few days ago, in his last electoral act as Governor, Walker endorsed Mark Begich over Mike Dunleavy. This is truly notable, because Walker financially supported Dunleavy to the maximum allowed amount when he ran for the State Senate in 2012. But once there, Dunleavy did not work to plug major holes in the State’s economy, did not support adequate funding for education, did not vote to maintain the marine highway, and did not balance the State’s protection of natural resources with the development of natural resources. But perhaps most importantly, Dunleavy helped break the bi-partisan Senate coalition that was trying to do what was best for the State as a whole. Mark Begich is a moderate, bi-partisan Democrat. As a U.S. Senator he supported a woman’s “right to choose,” voted to open ANWR, supported NRA-backed positions, and helped pass Obamacare. Walker knows Mark Begich will listen to all sides, work with all sides, and put the serious needs of Alaskans over the narrow demands of any political party. Our State is facing a number of very serious challenges. We will need to work together to solve these problems and move forward. If we don’t work together, there’s only one other direction we can go.

Gershon Cohen

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