Walker decides against write-in campaign for governor

Walker made the announcement via Facebook Monday morning after weighing the option with his family over the weekend. While a Walker write-in campaign would have been a long shot, he potentially could have pulled voter support from Republican Gov. Sean Parnell.

Walker had been wrestling with whether to get back into the race since garnering 33 percent of the vote in the primary, saying the concerns he had about the state's future weren't being addressed to his satisfaction by either of the race's major candidates, Parnell or Democrat Ethan Berkowitz.

He said he seriously considered running on the Alaskan Independence Party or Libertarian tickets, though neither party fully embraced him. He flirted with the write-in option, initially saying he wasn't inclined to do it but giving it another look after U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she was taking that route in trying to hold onto her seat. His campaign believed her decision would give a higher profile to the option, which other big-name candidates -- including Walker's mentor, Wally Hickel -- have pursued but never succeeded with.

Walker put off an announcement on a write-in bid last week, saying he wanted to take the weekend to discuss the issue with his family. He disclosed his plans not to run on Facebook Monday morning, calling it a "most difficult decision," made after analysis, prayer and input from family, and saying he wanted supporters to hear the news from him first.

He did not immediately return a call Monday.

Walker, an Anchorage attorney, focused almost solely during the primary on his plans to build an "all-Alaska" natural gas pipeline. Walker said an all-Alaska line with an export option would offer the best opportunity to get a line built, provide a market for Alaska's North Slope gas and shore up the state's now oil-dependent economy.

He told The Associated Press last week that there were a lot of factors he needed to weigh in deciding whether to mount a write-in candidacy, including the financial challenges and the fact that while some people want to see him as a candidate, others don't want a write-in. Walker had put about $300,000 of his own money into his primary run.

Walker said via Facebook that the concerns he had about Alaska's economic future remain and that he'll look for ways to advance his plan. He did not issue an endorsement.

Both Parnell and Berkowitz have been courting Walker's support and that of his supporters.

Berkowitz on Monday reiterated his offer to include Walker in a Berkowitz administration and to give him a prominent role in negotiating terms for a line Alaskans have been hoping for for decades. A Parnell spokeswoman didn't immediately return a message.