Sean Parnell, the Republican governor of Alaska, expected to be re-elected easially, but recent events have put him in jeopardy.
Parnell could have defeated soundly two challengers who would split any opposition vote — Bill Walker, a former Republican running as an Independent, and Democrat Byron Mallott. But around Labor Day, the two of them formed a “unity ticket” headed by Walker. They’ve pulled even and at times ahead of Parnell in the polls.
That’s because, at about the same time, Parnell had to deal with a scandal involving the National Guard. A 229-page report documented widespread sexual harassment and abuse in the Guard — a sensitive subject in Alaska, which has among the highest percentages of women who have been raped or stalked in the country.
“Parnell kind of woke up a bit late to the possible damage of the Guard scandal and to this unity ticket,” says James Muller, a political scientist at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. “It is a more challenging situation for an incumbent governor than he faced a month ago.”
Parnell’s late efforts to define Walker have had to compete with the lavishly funded contest for the U.S. Senate, which has dominated the airwaves and political discussion (as well as tying up many people’s phone lines at home).
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