During a press conference on Tuesday, Alaska Lt. Gov Kevin Meyer said he will not run for reelection. He made the announcement at the end of a press conference about a bill he and Gov. Mike Dunleavy are presenting in 2022 to beef up voting integrity.
Meyer said he wants to devote his entire focus in 2022 to ensuring a fair election. The election will be conducted for the first time in the brand new “jungle primary” and “ranked choice voting” for the general election, a system that was ushered in with Ballot Measure 2, passed by voters last November.
“I think this is going to be an election unlike any other,” Meyer said, and emphasized that he needs to be impartial, without appearance of bias or conflict. “That is extremely important as far as voter trust and confidence in our election process.”
After 30 years of elected service, he said he has been in 19 elections, and “I kind of look forward to sitting this one out, and focusing on having the best election process in 2022.”
His announcement gives Gov. Dunleavy the opportunity to choose a new running mate for his reelection campaign. In the past, lieutenant governor candidates ran separate from gubernatorial candidates, but with the new voting scheme, the governor and lieutenant governor candidates must run as a pair.
