Dunleavy suspends campaign for governor

WASILLA — Alaska gubernatorial candidate Mike Dunleavy is suspending his campaign to deal with a health issue that needs his attention, his campaign said in a press release on Tuesday. Dunleavy, a Republican state senator from Wasilla, recently underwent a procedure to correct a condition he “has been dealing with that is not life-threatening but is important to resolve,” according to the campaign.

“While he believes the procedure will have the anticipated long-term positive outcomes, the healing and recovery process may take some time – weeks or even months. Until that occurs, his campaign for governor will be suspended,” the press release stated. “While this is surely to disappoint many of his supporters, no one is more disappointed than Mike himself.”

Speaking for himself in the press release, Dunleavy said, “This is not what I wanted to see happen, because my heart is in it to serve Alaska, but this is something I must take care of now, not later.”

The campaign said the candidate will evaluate the situation in the near future and make a final determination as to whether he should continue with the campaign.