14 in race for governor

June 2, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Gov. Frank Murkowski, John Binkley, Eric Croft, Andrew Halcro, Sarah Palin and Tony Knowles announced publicly that they want to be the next governor of the state of Alaska. But they were among the last candidates to make final-week submissions of paperwork with the Division of Elections before Thursday's deadline.

By the time the Division of Elections closed its doors at 5 p.m. Thursday, 14 people filed for the race for governor and 11 entered the lieutenant governor election. In the 2002 election, 15 candidates entered the race for governor, the most ever.

Among the front-running candidates, Croft, an Anchorage Democrat, was the only one to have submitted his paperwork prior to Tuesday.

&#8220I'm not the type who says he's going to run if someone else doesn't,” Croft said. &#8220When I decided to run for governor, I submitted the necessary paperwork. It's important to me to make a decision based on what I believe is best for Alaska and not what someone else might do.”

Binkley, who was among the first to announce his candidacy in December, was the first Republican to file his paperwork, submitting them at the Fairbanks division of election office Tuesday.

Palin announced her candidacy on Oct. 18, Alaska Day, long before any other of the growing list of candidates, saying then that it was &#8220time to take a stand and put Alaska first.

She echoed those remarks after filing her paperwork Wednesday, making her bid for the state's highest public office official.

Frank Bailey, who works with Palin's campaign, indicated that waiting for the final week to file paperwork is typical for major elections.

Binkley said the delay isn't because of some elaborate political plan or strategy, but is due to the sheer volume of information required.

&#8220With all the financial disclosures and group affiliations that must be identified, it takes a while to get all the forms in order,” Binkley said Tuesday after filing. &#8220We took time to double check everything, making sure nothing went undisclosed or was left out.”

Also officially entering Tuesday were Gov. Murkowski and former two-term Gov. Tony Knowles. Both announced their candidacy within the last week. Murkowski joins Palin and Binkley in the Republican primary. Knowles will be challenged by Croft for the Democratic nomination.

Halcro, who is running as an independent and does not have to participate in the primary, joined forces with former Soldotna mayor Ken Lancaster as his running mate.

Five other candidates also have entered the race. Merica Hlatcu will challenge Binkley and Palin in the Republican primary. Bruce Lemke is entered as a Democrat. Daniel DeNardo is running as the Independence Party nominee, and William Token on the Libertarian ticket.

Walter Dixon filed a nominating petition to be on the general election ballot as an Alaska Frontier Constitutional party candidate. If the petition is certified by the Division of Elections, he will be on the ballot.

Gerald Heikes, a Republican from Palmer, was among the entries into the race late Thursday, filing his paperwork just inside the 5 p.m. deadline.

The race for lieutenant governor included several late entries and announcements that should make things a bit more interesting. Lt. Gov. Loren Leman announced Tuesday that he would not seek re-election or run for governor as some suspected.

Anchorage Rep. Ethan Berkowitz changed his status as a Democratic candidate for governor to a run for lieutenant governor. The entry of Knowles into the race played a key role in Berkowitz's decision. The pair will join forces on the campaign trail this summer, hoping to win their party's nomination.

Former lieutenant governor candidate and state legislator Jerry Ward was among the last-minute entries in the race, filing his paperwork after learning that Leman wouldn't be seeking re-election.

&#8220I wasn't going to run against Loren (Leman), but we talked before he announced and he told me to get my paperwork in,” Ward said. &#8220I believe that the Republican Party is the party of smaller government and it has not been going in that direction. I want to get the state and the party back on that track.”

Wasilla resident Troy Maulden was the first to officially enter the race for lieutenant governor, completing his paperwork back in December.

&#8220It was important for me to make my intentions known early,” Maulden said. &#8220I had a feeling that Leman wasn't going to seek re-election and I wanted to get out in front of the Republican Party machine.”

Maulden indicated that his choice for governor and running mate is Palin, because, he said, she stood up against the corruption in government. He concluded that he would be happy to work with any of the candidates on the Republican ticket.

He will have to defeat Sean Parnell in the Republican primary to move on to the general election.

A veteran state legislator, Parnell represented Anchorage in both the House and Senate during the 1980s and 90s.

Berkowitz will be challenged by Kay Rollison of Anchorage, Betty Rollins from North Pole and Sen. Donald Olson of Golovin in the Democratic primary.

Anchorage resident Robert D. Mirabal is also seeking the lieutenant governor position as a Libertarian candidate.

Douglas Welton of Fairbanks was the last to throw his name into the hat for lieutenant governor just an hour before the 5 p.m. deadline.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese @frontiersman.com.