AK-Gov: Latest poll shows incumbent Gov. Walker improving his position with voters

A new poll from Patinkin Research has Alaskan incumbent Gov. Bill Walker (I) improving his standing in the hotly contested race.

A previous poll, presented by the Alaska Correctional Officers Association and conducted by Alaska Survey Research, had Walker at a position of "distant third" in the race for governor. The latest poll shows him coming in second behind Republican state Sen. Mike Dunleavy, but ahead of Democrat Mark Begich, a former Alaska senator.

The poll did not test a hypothetical three-way matchup among Walker, Begich, and former Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, the other potential Republican candidate in the race.

Who's running?

The general election in November will be a three-way race between Walker, Begich (D), and an as-yet determined Republican. The filing deadline for candidates was June 1. The primary election is Aug. 21.

Treadwell and Dunleavy are running for the Republican spot.

Businessman and Chairman of BIPAC Scott Hawkins withdrew from the race last week because he felt he could not beat Treadwell.

Treadwell announced his entry into the primary on June 1.

You can read more about the candidates here.

What about the new poll?

The Patinkin Research poll’s respondents were asked "If the General Election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were held today, for whom would you vote?"

According to the poll’s findings, Dunleavy would take 36 percent of the vote if the election were held that day. Walker would take 28 percent of the vote, and Begich would take 22 percent of the vote.

According to the findings, 15 percent of respondents were undecided.

Patinkin Research polled 800 likely November voters in a phone survey June 22-28. The poll's margin of error is +/- 3.4 percent.

According to Walker-Mallott for Alaska:

It’s also worth noting that undecided voters are substantially made up of self-identified independents, a group that has provided significant support for Governor Walker in the past. And this poll is no exception, with nearly half indicating they support the Governor, and only around one-in-10 opting for either major party candidate.

The Governor is also popular across the political spectrum with Republicans, independents and Democrats offering favorable opinions of him. This is in contrast to his opponents who garner favorable reviews mainly from their own partisan base— meaning they fail to unite Alaska in the way Governor Walker can.

You can view more information on the poll here.