Begich endorses Wilson for governor, calls on other Republicans to drop out

U.S. Rep. Nick Begich endorsed Bernadette Wilson for governor on Sunday and asked the other Republicans in the race to get out.

"Now is the time for Republicans to come together," Begich wrote on Facebook. He said he had promised throughout the primary to back whichever Republican finished first. Wilson did, with 16,456 votes, ahead of Dave Bronson, Treg Taylor and Click Bishop.

"While I believe other Republican candidates should rally behind Wilson to increase our chances of winning, I will rank any Republican who remains in the race on my ballot," he wrote.

Bronson, who finished fourth, had already said he is staying in days before the endorsement.

Begich also argued against ranked choice voting in the same post, calling it a system that "complicates elections and unnecessarily creates confusion among voters," and saying he hopes Alaskans "end RCV once and for all this November."

The Democrats got there first. Tom Begich, who finished second and is the congressman's uncle, dropped out Friday and endorsed first-place finisher Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, leaving one ticket on the left against an unsettled Republican field.

Withdrawing does not shrink the November ballot. If a governor candidate steps aside alone, the running mate moves up. It takes both halves of a ticket leaving to vacate the slot, and under state law the next-highest finisher then takes it. Four candidates go to voters either way. Alaskans decide the fate of ranked choice voting on that same ballot.