Dem Begich concedes Alaska governor race to Republican Dunleavy

Former Sen. Mark Begich (D) has conceded the Alaska governor’s race to Republican Mike Dunleavy, the Associated Press reported.

The race had started as a three-way race as Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, had initially sought reelection.

But Walker dropped out unexpectedly in October and endorsed Begich. The decision came three days after his lieutenant governor and running mate Byron Mallot resigned due to unspecified “inappropriate comments” he made to a woman.

Walker nonetheless remained on the ballot since he suspended his campaign after the deadline to remove oneself.

The race had been a nail-biter until the end. An Alaska Survey Research poll last week found Dunleavy ahead of Begich by a razor-thin margin, 42.5 percent to 42.3 percent, according to Alaska Public Media.

The AP has not yet called the final results of the race.