Recent poll numbers place Governor Sean Parnell well ahead of his rivals in the gubernatorial election. KDLG’s Chase Cavanaugh has more on the numbers.
A poll by Ivan Moore Research places Alaska Governor Sean Parnell in first place for the upcoming gubernatorial election. According to Moore himself, the 2nd Quarter Alaska Survey Poll called 700 individuals around the state, narrowing down who were registered voters, and further separating that group into those who would vote in November.
“We asked people how they would vote on the governor’s race, with the three main candidates in there, Sean Parnell running as a Republican, Bill Walker running as an independent, and Byron Mallott running as a Democrat, and the results show what a lot of people know instinctively through common sense, and that is that Bill Walker and Byron Mallott essentially split the anti-Parnell vote.”
Parnell was favored by 42% of the poll’s respondents. Bill Walker took second with 29%, and Mallott in last with 16%. 13% of the respondents were unsure. Moore says Parnell’s numbers reflect his typical level of support, and that with the split vote, the other two candidates sabotage each other’s numbers.
“I think I probably subscribe to the school of thought that basically says that with three people in there, it’s going to be nigh on impossible for one of the challengers to win.”
To test support among the other two candidates, Moore also asked participants who they would support if only one candidate was running against Parnell. If it was a Democrat-Republican race, Mallott was picked by 34% of respondents, compared with Parnell’s 55%. However, for an Independent-Republican race, the numbers were much closer. Walker got 45% while Parnell got 46%. Moore says these are a result of Walker’s ability to appeal to a wider political demographic.
"If you get Walker running against Parnell, Democrats aren’t going to look at that as an ideal choice, but they would certainly support Walker over Parnell. So Walker gets to absorb votes from the left hand side of the spectrum all the way across to include moderate and moderate Republicans and other Republicans who support his candidacy.”
Parnell and Mallott will face off in their parties’ requisite primaries on August 19th, while Walker will go straight to the general election in November.