Ralph Samuels

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker scored a major endorsement Monday, winning the support of the state's largest labor union in the upcoming Republican primary. On the Democratic side, Alaska AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami said state Sen. Hollis French and former lawmaker Ethan Berkowitz both have strong labor records. Candidates were asked to respond to questionnaires, and the union favored Walker's responses on issues like the need for good jobs and benefits. Beltrami said Ralph Samuels returned the questionnaire, but Gov. Sean Parnell did not.

There are already signs that the Republican race for governor could be a bitter fight.  The Ralph Samuels campaign is objecting to a TV commercial that features Gov. Sean Parnell speaking out against domestic violence.  The ads in question were produced by the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Samuels campaign says it's not the content of the spots it objects to, but the timing. "If we commit ourselves to this great cause, we can end this epidemic in a decade," Parnell said in his State of the State address last month.

Republican Bill Walker officially joined the race for governor Thursday, filing his declaration of candidacy at the Division of Elections office in Anchorage. Walker is a life-long Alaskan, Anchorage attorney and business owner who has also served as the mayor of Valdez. Walker is campaigning on the platform of an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline. He said in light of President Obama's recent announcement on Arctic drilling, there is no better time than the present to make his candidacy official.

Numerous Republican candidates for office gathered at a fundraiser for Alaskans for Parental Rights Monday night, in a rare show of party unity before an election-year primary. The fundraiser was hosted at the West Anchorage home of gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker -- but opponents Gov. Sean Parnell and Ralph Samuels were also there as co-hosts. Other co-hosts included candidates for lieutenant governor Eddie Burke, Mead Treadwell and Jay Ramras; U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller; and Rep. Don Young and his challenger, Sheldon Fisher.

Valdez Rep. John Harris says he will probably run for re-election to the House. The Republican representative was in the running for governor until this week when he announced that he's withdrawing his candidacy. Harris says the race for the top job in state politics is all about timing and that the timing just was not right. Money for his campaign was also difficult to come by. Harris says many voters were not contributing either because they had not made up their minds or they decided to support other names like Ralph Samuels, Bill Walker and current Gov. Sean Parnell, who is running for re-election.

Republican incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell stood by his natural gas pipeline strategy during the GOP primary, beating gas-line-based challengers Bill Walker and Ralph Samuels by wide margins. Parnell finished the night with 49 percent of the vote to Walker's 34 percent and Samuels' 14 percent. On the day after the primary election, after Republican voters decided to pair Parnell with their nominee for lieutenant governor, Mead Treadwell, some introductions are in order. “I've known Mead for a large amount of years: he has a large amount of international experience, state and federal experience, solid business background,” Parnell said.

Former state Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom resigned as Gov. Sean Parnell's military affairs advisor Friday. The decision comes after Attorney General Dan Sullivan admits he gave the wrong advice to Parnell. Dahlstrom left the state House in May, and quickly joined the Parnell administration. But many questioned when the job was offered and whether it was in line with the state Constitution. Alaska state law says that lawmakers cannot accept public jobs created while they were in office.

Channel 2 News and KTUU.com will be broadcasting and streaming live on the Internet Sunday's gubernatorial debate. The five candidates for governor at the debate will be Republicans Sean Parnell, Ralph Samuels and Bill Walker, and Democrats Ethan Berkowitz and Hollis French. Check back here for more details Sunday night.

by Megan Baldino Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Gubernatorial candidate Ralph Samuels is urging Gov. Sean Parnell to seek DNR Commissioner Tom Irwin's resignation. Samuels says Irwin is making poor decisions for the state and points to the recent ruling against the state regarding Point Thomson. Samuels says the governor needs to show leadership and restore the public's confidence in the Department of Natural Resources. A spokesperson for the governor referred questions to the Parnell campaign.

Financial reports for candidates for governor have been released, and on the Republican side, incumbent Sean Parnell is ahead of his challengers. His campaign has raised nearly $450,000 total, with more than $230,000 in the last six months. Bill Walker reported $299,000 in contributions and income, most of which is from his personal savings. The campaign for Ralph Samuels reported $129,000 for this period. Among the Democrats, Ethan Berkowitz's campaign reported contributions this period that totaled $114,000.

Republican incumbent Gov. Sean Parnell stood by his natural gas pipeline strategy during the GOP primary, beating gas-line-based challengers Bill Walker and Ralph Samuels by wide margins. Parnell finished the night with 49 percent of the vote to Walker's 34 percent and Samuels' 14 percent. On the day after the primary election, after Republican voters decided to pair Parnell with their nominee for lieutenant governor, Mead Treadwell, some introductions are in order. “I've known Mead for a large amount of years: he has a large amount of international experience, state and federal experience, solid business background,” Parnell said.

Numerous Republican candidates for office gathered at a fundraiser for Alaskans for Parental Rights Monday night, in a rare show of party unity before an election-year primary. The fundraiser was hosted at the West Anchorage home of gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker -- but opponents Gov. Sean Parnell and Ralph Samuels were also there as co-hosts. Other co-hosts included candidates for lieutenant governor Eddie Burke, Mead Treadwell and Jay Ramras; U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller; and Rep. Don Young and his challenger, Sheldon Fisher.

Former state Rep. Nancy Dahlstrom resigned as Gov. Sean Parnell's military affairs advisor Friday. The decision comes after Attorney General Dan Sullivan admits he gave the wrong advice to Parnell. Dahlstrom left the state House in May, and quickly joined the Parnell administration. But many questioned when the job was offered and whether it was in line with the state Constitution. Alaska state law says that lawmakers cannot accept public jobs created while they were in office.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker scored a major endorsement Monday, winning the support of the state's largest labor union in the upcoming Republican primary. On the Democratic side, Alaska AFL-CIO President Vince Beltrami said state Sen. Hollis French and former lawmaker Ethan Berkowitz both have strong labor records. Candidates were asked to respond to questionnaires, and the union favored Walker's responses on issues like the need for good jobs and benefits. Beltrami said Ralph Samuels returned the questionnaire, but Gov. Sean Parnell did not.

Republican Bill Walker officially joined the race for governor Thursday, filing his declaration of candidacy at the Division of Elections office in Anchorage. Walker is a life-long Alaskan, Anchorage attorney and business owner who has also served as the mayor of Valdez. Walker is campaigning on the platform of an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline. He said in light of President Obama's recent announcement on Arctic drilling, there is no better time than the present to make his candidacy official.

There are already signs that the Republican race for governor could be a bitter fight.  The Ralph Samuels campaign is objecting to a TV commercial that features Gov. Sean Parnell speaking out against domestic violence.  The ads in question were produced by the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. The Samuels campaign says it's not the content of the spots it objects to, but the timing. "If we commit ourselves to this great cause, we can end this epidemic in a decade," Parnell said in his State of the State address last month.

Valdez Rep. John Harris says he will probably run for re-election to the House. The Republican representative was in the running for governor until this week when he announced that he's withdrawing his candidacy. Harris says the race for the top job in state politics is all about timing and that the timing just was not right. Money for his campaign was also difficult to come by. Harris says many voters were not contributing either because they had not made up their minds or they decided to support other names like Ralph Samuels, Bill Walker and current Gov. Sean Parnell, who is running for re-election.