Tom Begich ends campaign, endorses JKT for governor

Democrat Tom Begich ended his campaign for governor Friday and endorsed the Democratic leader Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, who shares many of the same political positions on topics ranging from education to state finances.

The decision to unify behind JKT increases the chances for the Democratic candidate in the November election. The thinking is that instead of splitting the first-round votes, the odds of getting to 50 percent will be much stronger.

Begich said they have a “shared vision of Alaska” and plan to “carry that vision forward in a united way.”

Begich said "the strongest path to winning in November is not two Democratic candidates competing for the same donors and resources. It’s bringing those people together behind one ticket.”

“More than 34,000 Alaskans put their trust in us, and thousands more gave their time, energy, and support to this campaign. We will never forget that,” Begich and running mate Julia Hnilicka said in a statement on social media.

“What we built together does not end here. The work continues, and so does our commitment to building a better future, made in Alaska.”

“From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in us and for being part of this campaign.”

JKT finished first in the primary with 22.5 percent, followed by Begich with 20.8 percent.

Begich’s decision means that former AG Tregarrick Taylor, who finished fifth, will move up to become the No. 4 candidate on the ballot.

But the Alaska Public Offfices Commission says that Taylor should not be on the ballot because he failed to follow the financial disclosure laws in not listing the names of his tenants.

Taylor said he listed first names and last initials, claiming that the law that requires names does not say that it requires a full name.

This is a matter for the Division of Elections and the courts to decide. Here is background on the issues investigated by the APOC.

The top two Republicans in the race, Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson, have both said they will not drop out. The public bickering between the two is getting worse with both claiming they want the other one to quit.

The pressure on them and Taylor will increase before the deadline Monday.

If one of them drops out, former Sen. Click Bishop would gain a place on the November ballot, but I expect that Wilson, Bronson and Taylor will not want to call it quits.

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