# 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election

Elections in Alaska :
Federal government
Presidential elections
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Presidential primaries and caucuses
Democratic
2008
2016
2020
2024
Republican
2008
2012
2016
2024
U.S. Senate elections
1958
1960
1962
1966
1968
1970 sp
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1958
1960
1962
1964
1966
1968
1970
1972
1973 sp
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022 sp
2022
2024 :
State government
Statewide elections
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Gubernatorial elections
1958
1962
1966
1970
1974
1978
1982
1986
1990
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2018
2022
2026
Senate elections
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
House of Representatives elections
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
Ballot measures
1990
2
1998
2
2008
ACWI
2014
2
2020
2
2024
2 :
Anchorage
Mayoral elections
1975
1978
1981
1984
1987
1990
1994
1997
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018
2021
2024
Propositions
2018 (1) :
vte :
The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009. Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.
Following the primary election on Tuesday, August 24, 2010, the Democratic ticket consists of Ethan Berkowitz and Diane E. Benson running against Republican Parnell and his running mate, Mead Treadwell. In the general election Parnell/Treadwell defeated Berkowitz/Benson by a wide margin.
Parnell received over 59% of the vote, which is the highest percentage for any Alaska gubernatorial candidate in history. This is the only election in Alaskan history where any party won three consecutive gubernatorial elections.

## Republican primary
### Certified for the ballot

* Gerald L. Heikes, perennial candidate
* Merica Hlatcu
* Sam Little, truck driver and country musician
* Sean Parnell, incumbent Governor
* Ralph Samuels, former Majority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives
* Bill Walker, attorney and former Mayor of Valdez

### Declined

* Sarah Palin, former Governor
* Ted Stevens, former U.S. Senator & U.S. Attorney (ran for 2014 U.S. Senate election)

### Withdrew

* John Harris, former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, announced in January 2010 that he would be seeking re-election to his House seat instead

### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Sean Parnell | Ralph Samuels | Bill Walker | Undecided |
| Hellenthal & Associates | July 22–25, 2010 | 60% | 13% | 15% | 12% |
| Basswood Research | February 27–28, 2010 | 69% | 9% | 4% | 21% |

### Results

Republican primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Sean Parnell (incumbent) | 54,125 | 49.49 |
| | Republican | Bill Walker | 35,734 | 33.95 |
| | Republican | Ralph Samuels | 15,376 | 14.05 |
| | Republican | Sam Little | 1,661 | 1.54 |
| | Republican | Merica Hlatcu | 626 | 0.56 |
| | Republican | Gerald L. Heikes | 460 | 0.40 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 107,982 | 100 |

## Alaskan Independence-Democratic-Libertarian primary
### Candidates
#### Alaskan Independence Party

* Don Wright, bush pilot

#### Democratic Party

* Ethan Berkowitz, former Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives, nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 2006 and Congress in 2008
* Hollis S. French, State Senator
* Bob Poe, Businessman (Withdrawn)

#### Libertarian Party

* William Toien

### Results

ADL primary results :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Ethan Berkowitz | 22,607 | 48.69 |
| | Democratic | Hollis French | 18,018 | 38.81 |
| | Independence | Don Wright | 4,104 | 8.84 |
| | Libertarian | William Toien | 1,698 | 3.66 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 46,427 | 100 |

## General election
### Candidates

* Ethan Berkowitz (D)
** Berkowitz's running mate is college professor Diane Benson, who ran for Governor in 1998 on the Green Party ticket.
* Sean Parnell (R)
** Parnell's running mate is businessman Mead Treadwell.
* William Toien (L)
** Toien's running mate is Jeffrey Brown.
* Don Wright (AIP)
** Wright's running mate is Michigan Militia founder Norm Olson.

### Lieutenant Governor Candidates

In Alaska, the lieutenant governor runs separately from the governor in the primary election. The respective party nominees for each office are then joined as a party ticket in the general election. Occasionally, a minor party will nominate a candidate for governor, but without a running mate.
* Diane E. Benson (Democrat) (won primary)
* Eddie Burke (Republican), Anchorage businessman and radio talk show host
* Craig Campbell (Republican), incumbent (withdrew April 2010)
* Lynette Moreno-Hinz, Anchorage taxicab driver who was involved with a taxi deregulation ballot issue in 2008
* Jay Ramras (Republican), Fairbanks businessman and member of the Alaska House
* Mead Treadwell (Republican) (won primary)

### Predictions

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| Cook Political Report | Safe R | October 14, 2010 |
| Rothenberg | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| RealClearPolitics | Likely R | November 1, 2010 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe R | October 28, 2010 |
| CQ Politics | Likely R | October 28, 2010 |

### Polling

| Poll source | Dates administered | Sean Parnell (R) | Ethan Berkowitz (D) |
| CNN/Time Magazine | October 15–19, 2010 | 62% | 36% |
| Rasmussen Reports | October 13, 2010 | 52% | 39% |
| CNN/Time Magazine | September 24–28, 2010 | 57% | 38% |
| Rasmussen Reports | September 19, 2010 | 54% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports | August 31, 2010 | 53% | 43% |
| Public Policy Polling | August 27–28, 2010 | 55% | 37% |
| Basswood Research | August 28–29, 2010 | 54% | 40% |
| Rasmussen Reports | July 15, 2010 | 53% | 34% |
| Rasmussen Reports | May 6, 2010 | 58% | 30% |

### Fundraising

Campaign activity disclosure reports are filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. For the period ending February 1, 2010, the candidates and others subject to filing have reported the following to APOC:
| Candidate | Cash on hand | Candidate's own money | Total income | Total expenses | Total debts | Surplus/ (deficit) |
| Berkowitz | $0 | $10,295.77 | $128,178.52 | $19,500.20 | $0 | $108,678.32 |
| Parnell | $0 | $0 | $214,696.77 | $93,842.38 | $2,025.00 | $123,150.38 |

### Results

2010 Alaska gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Sean Parnell (incumbent) | 151,318 | 59.06 | +10.7 |
| | Democratic | Ethan Berkowitz | 96,519 | 37.67 | −3.3 |
| | Independence | Don Wright | 4,775 | 1.86 | +1.3 |
| | Libertarian | Billy Toien | 2,682 | 1.05 | +0.7 |
| | Write-in votes | | 898 | 0.35 | +0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 54,799 | 21.39 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 256,192 | 52.3 | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | +14.26 | |

#### Boroughs and census areas that flipped from Democratic to Republican

* Ketchikan Gateway Borough (largest city: Ketchikan)
* Petersburg
* Bethel Census Area (largest city: Bethel)
* Kusilvak Census Area (largest city: Hooper Bay)
* North Slope Borough (largest city: Utqiaġvik)
* Prince of Wales–Hyder Census Area (largest city: Craig)
* Yukon–Koyukuk Census Area (largest city: Fort Yukon)
* Juneau
* Haines Borough (largest census-designated place: Haines)
* Aleutians East Borough (largest city: Akutan)