Dunleavy elected governor; Ballot Measure 1 fails

Former Mat-Su state senator Mike Dunleavy will be Alaska’s next governor, voters decided Nov. 6 in the state’s general election.

Dunleavy, a Republican, led his Democratic challenger, former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, by a large margin, 52 percent to 43.5 percent, with other ballots cast for other candidates including current Gov. Bill Walker, who had withdrawn but was still on the ballot.

“We feel like we ran a great campaign, and we’re on the way to winning,” Dunleavy said by phone from an election night gathering at Anchorage Alehouse.

Dunleavy said his reaction to early returns align with what his supporters are looking for.

“The voters want us to develop our resources, manage government better before we go to them asking for other revenues,” Dunleavy said. “We have to use the resources, and we have to develop our wealth and jobs.”

Dunleavy said, if elected, he’s proud to represent his community in the Valley, and the state.

“They’re going to have a governor that understands the Valley. The state’s going to have a governor that understands the state,” Dunleavy said. “This is a fantastic state. I’m proud to proud to live in the Valley, but I’ll be proud to be the governor for all of Alaska.”

Also by a wide margin Alaska voters turned down a ballot proposition in the Nov. 6 state election that would have blocked major construction projects and new mines, and hobbled producing mines when they renewed operating permits.

Ballot Measure 1, also known as the “salmon” initiative, failed almost two-to-one, with 64 percent of Alaskans casting ballots voting no and 36 percent voting yes.

Failure of the proposition will help invigorate new mining and construction investment in the state, leaders in those industries say.

Dunleavy, the winner in the governor’s race, has been vocal about his support for development and the mining industry and has said he is open to discussions on development of the proposed large Pebble project, which Begich has opposed.

Begich also endorsed the salmon initiative, which prompted influential rural Alaska Native groups, who have an economic stake in mines on lands they own, to endorse Dunleavy, the Republican.

Fishing and tribal organizations had organized the ballot proposition, with financial backing by conservation groups and out-of-state foundations supported by tech billionaires.

Pebble, a large copper, gold and molybdenum deposit near Lake Iliamna southwest of Anchorage, is owned by Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals, Ltd.

About $800 million has been invested to date in exploration, preliminary engineering and environmental permit work, and the project is in the middle of a federal Environmental Impact Statement process led by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The project is located, however, in a sensitive area of wetlands that are connected to streams and rivers that support major salmon fisheries. Because of that fisheries groups and tribes in the Bristol Bay area of southwest Alaska have fiercely opposed Pebble.

The draft EIS for Pebble is expected to be complete next spring, corps officials said.

However, the state of Alaska’s mining permit process is rigorous and Northern Dynasty has yet to file for its state permits.

The success of the state permitting was problematic with a governor hostile to the project, but Dunleavy’s election now promises a more open, even-handed approach.

Northern Dynasty is looking for a partner in Pebble and a more friendly state administration will aid that. Two previous partners, Rio Tinto and Anglo American, pulled out mainly because of the political opposition.

Frontiersman reporter Tim Rockey contributed to this report