Thunder Mountain High School will host Democratic governor candidate Mark Begich in his first visit to the capital city since the withdrawal of incumbent independent Gov. Bill Walker from the race.
Begich is scheduled to speak beginning at 2:50 p.m. as part of a daylong slate of events.
At noon, he will appear at Sacred Grounds Cafe on Willoughby Avenue for a meet and greet. At 1 p.m., he heads to Bartlett Regional Hospital to meet with staff and patients.
That’s followed by the trip to the Mendenhall Valley to talk with students.
At 5:30 p.m., he concludes the day with a fundraiser and event with organized labor at the IBEW hall, 813 W. 12th St.
Local candidates for the Alaska Legislature are also expected to speak to Thunder Mountain students during Friday classes. Independent U.S. House of Representatives candidate Alyse Galvin is expected to participate in the discussion via Skype. Galvin press secretary Kati Ward said by email that the candidate will return to the capital city Nov. 3.
Republican governor candidate Mike Dunleavy and Republican U.S. House candidate Don Young were invited but unable to attend.
President Trump endorses Dunleavy
In a presidential message shared on Twitter Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump announced his endorsement of Dunleavy.
“@MikeDunleavyGov will make a fantastic Governor of Alaska. Mike is for Energy and Jobs, is tough on Crime, loves our Vets and our Great Second Amendment. Mike has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” the president wrote.
.@MikeDunleavyGov will make a fantastic Governor of Alaska. Mike is for Energy and Jobs, is tough on Crime, loves our Vets and our Great Second Amendment. Mike has my Complete and Total Endorsement!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 25, 2018
The president’s endorsement follows that of Alaska’s Republican Congressional delegation. Rep. Don Young, Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski endorsed Dunleavy for governor.
Portugal. The Man endorses Begich
Grammy-winning Alaska band Portugal. The Man endorsed Begich for governor at roughly the same time as the president’s announcement.
“We rarely support politicians but (Mark Begich) was 1 of 3 candidates endorsed by the (United Tribes of Bristol Bay) this week for his long history of working to protect Alaska’s wild salmon fisheries in Bristol Bay & around the Alaska, opposing the Pebble Mine project. Vote the #SalmonSlate,” they wrote on Twitter.
We rarely support politicians but @MarkBegich was 1 of 3 candidates endorsed by the @UnitedTribes_BB this week for his long history of working to protect Alaska's wild salmon fisheries in Bristol Bay & around the Alaska, opposing the Pebble Mine project. Vote the #SalmonSlate ❤️
— LORDS OF PORTLAND (@portugaltheman) October 25, 2018
The “salmon slate” refers to a list of candidates who support Ballot Measure 1. That measure proposes environmental protections for salmon-bearing streams. The list of candidates on the salmon slate includes Galvin, Begich and Alaska Speaker of the House Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham.
More early votes
Through three days of early voting, voters in Juneau’s two House districts continue to be the most active among all Alaskans. By 4:20 p.m. Wednesday evening, the Alaska Division of Elections reported 652 early votes cast from residents of House District 34. From House District 33, 542 voters have cast early ballots. Those continue to be the two highest totals among all of Alaska’s 40 districts.
Across Alaska, 2,520 early votes were cast between 4 p.m. Tuesday and 4:20 p.m. Wednesday. Added to the first two days of voting, 8,167 early votes have been cast. Another 7,847 absentee ballots have been delivered to the division as well.
In Juneau, early voting takes place at the Elections Office in the Mendenhall Mall Annex and on the eighth floor of the State Office Building from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Weekend hours begin in November. On Saturday, Nov. 3, the Mendenhall Mall Annex will be open for voting 10 a.m.-4 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 4, it will be open noon-4 p.m.
Candidate profiles
Ahead of the Nov. 6 general election, the Empire has published profiles of the six local legislative candidates and the local judges who appear on the ballot. You can find them in the paper on these dates or online:
• Sept. 19: Judges on the ballot
• Oct. 18: Don Etheridge
• Oct. 19: Chris Dimond
• Oct. 21: Jesse Kiehl
• Oct. 22: Jerry Nankervis
• Oct. 23: Andi Story
• Oct. 24: Sara Hannan
• Contact reporter James Brooks at jbrooks@juneauempire.com or 523-2258.
