AK-Gov: GOP candidate withdraws from Alaska governor’s race

Scott Hawkins, Anchorage businessman and chairman of BIPAC, announced that he was withdrawing from the Alaska gubernatorial race on Monday.

Hawkins was one of three Republican candidates vying to unseat incumbent Alaska Gov. Bill Walker (I).

What are the details?

According to KTVA-TV, Hawkins decided to withdraw from the race because he felt that he could not beat former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, who announced his entry into the primary on June 1.

Hawkins' departure leaves Treadwell against former Alaska state Sen. Mike Dunleavy (R) in the Aug. 21 primary.

According to KTVA, Hawkins won the straw poll at the Republican State Convention in March, beating Dunleavy by just 8 votes prior to Treadwell's entry into the race.

“I have concluded that recent developments in the race, particularly the last-minute entry of Mead Treadwell, significantly diminished my ability to win the primary,” Hawkins said in a statement, according to KTVA.

“I was looking forward to facing Sen. Mike Dunleavy, head-to-head,” Hawkins added. “The two of us offered Republican primary voters different visions for Alaska as we engaged in a friendly, respectful airing of our ideas on the campaign trail. Mead’s entry into the race significantly complicated this contrast.”

What else?

Walker is seeking re-election, and former Democratic Sen. Mark Begich is also running.

You can read more about the candidates here.

In response to Hawkins' withdrawal, Treadwell issued the following statement:

Scott’s departure leaves me as the only Republican candidate with real world business experience that will enable us to meet the challenge of creating jobs and growing Alaska’s economy. I believe that the August 21st primary presents Alaskans with a clear choice of direction for our state.

Dunleavy also issued a statement, which read:

I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve spent with him at campaign events over the past few months, learning more about his conservative principles and free-market solutions to Alaska’s challenges. While we were technically opponents, Scott unquestionably elevated the debate, laying out a positive vision for Alaska’s future− I found that Scott and I often agreed on more issues than we disagreed.

A June prediction from the far-left Daily Kos reported that a Republican will likely unseat Walker.

A June Inside Elections prediction said the election would “tilt Republican.”

A March Ivan Moore Research poll showed Walker leading Dunleavy in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup by a margin of 51 percent to 44 percent.

A March poll by the same firm showed Begich leading Dunleavy in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup by a margin of 53 percent to 42 percent.