Democrat Byron Mallott (left) and Independent Bill Walker shook up the gubernatorial race when they merged campaigns. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)
The governor’s race was shaken up last month when Independent Bill Walker and Democrat Byron Mallott merged their campaigns in an effort to unseat incumbent Republican Governor Sean Parnell.
Walker and Mallott were in Sitka recently (Tuesday, 9/30/14), campaigning for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively. So was Parnell’s running mate, Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan. And on issues from healthcare to oil taxes, the two tickets provided a study in contrasts.
One key disagreement is over Medicaid, the health insurance program for low-income Americans. Under the Affordable Care Act, states could expand Medicaid, and the federal government would pick up most of the tab. In Alaska, the expansion would have covered an estimated 40,000 people.
But Governor Sean Parnell announced last year that he would not expand Medicaid. He argued that the program is deeply flawed, and said the federal government couldn’t be trusted to keep its end of the bargain on funding.
Bill Walker said that if he’s elected, reversing that decision will be priority number one.
“I mean, it helps 40,000 Alaskans, good grief, that’s a pretty easy, easy, easy one there,” Walker said.
Steven Samuelson (left), Republican candidate for the Alaska State House, speaks with Anchorage Mayor, and candidate for Lt. Governor, Dan Sullivan. (KCAW photo/Rachel Waldholz)
Dan Sullivan sees the issue differently — and this is Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan, who is running for lieutenant governor, not former Attorney General Dan Sullivan, who is running for U.S. Senate.
Sullivan said he opposes expanding a program that will inevitably add to the federal debt.
Sullivan: Doesn’t make sense for me to say we should borrow more money from China to expand a government program.
KCAW: Does that mean that you wouldn’t accept federal funds for anything in Alaska? Or specifically Medicaid?
Sullivan: Well, take it issue by issue. If somebody said, you know, federal highway dollars for example can help build a road that could lead to good jobs and economic development, then you can see an end game there that’s positive…
Medicaid, he said, doesn’t meet that bar.
“As far as expanding Medicaid, again, I’m not sure where it was ever determined that it’s the government’s role to provide Medicaid to x number of people,” Sullivan said. “It was supposed to be a safety net. And it’s expanded to where the levels that are qualified I think go beyond a safety net and really just become I think another government entitlement program that’s unsustainable.”
Sullivan says a top priority for his ticket would be education. He has proposed a “great teacher fund,” which would pay for the college education of any student in the top 5% of their high school class, if they committed to teaching in Alaska.
“You want great student performance? You have great teachers,” Sullivan said. “How do you get great teachers? You train them. How do you train them? Rigorous, strong, demanding curriculum, and attract great students into the program. That’s how it works.”
Sullivan also took a shot at his opponents, pointing out that Bill Walker was a registered Republican until he formed the unity ticket; he ran against Parnell in the Republican primary in 2010.
“I think it creates a disjointed ticket, that quite frankly I can’t quite find what the core is,” Sullivan said. “What’s the moral, philosophical core of that ticket?”
KCAW posed that question to Walker and Mallott.
“I would say the core is to put Alaska before politics, and to make decisions based upon what’s best for Alaska, not necessarily based upon a core political party,” Walker said.
“The issues that bring us together far outstrip, far outweigh those on which we differ,” Mallott added. “And the issues on which we differ are more intensely personal than they are political.”
Those issues include abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Before merging campaigns, Mallott himself was at pains to point out that Walker is far more conservative on social issues.
Walker said that since he’s not running on those issues, his administration wouldn’t introduce legislation on them.
But if the legislature sends him a bill, say, restricting abortion rights?
“I will obviously read it, I’ll consult my attorney general…I’ll consult with both sides of the issue in the legislature, and then the last person I’ll speak to will be Byron,” Walker said. “I can’t guarantee a result, but I can guarantee a process. It’ll be a very open, very balanced, very fair process.”
Then, there’s the issue of oil taxes. Walker and Mallott both campaigned for the repeal of SB21, Governor Sean Parnell’s oil tax legislation. But voters chose to keep that system, in an August referendum.
Walker said his administration would honor that decision.
“But what we will do is we’ll make sure that Alaskans know how it’s going,” he said. “In other words, we have way too much confidentiality in Alaska on oil and gas issues. Alaskans deserve to know, is there in fact truly new oil going in? Or is it legacy oil in the pipeline?”
Mallott said that engaging the public is what their ticket is all about.
“We will reach out to Alaskans and re-engage them in public policy decision-making in a way that this current administration hasn’t,” he said. “And Alaskans’ voices will once again get heard in their government.”
Walker: It’s not a matter of working across the aisle — there will be no aisles. It’ll be a matter of working with 60 Alaskans in the legislature, and really, as Byron says so well, really reaching out to Alaskans to receive their input and engage them in the process.
KCAW: Anything else you wanted to add?
Mallott: Well said, brother. [Laughter]
