Political foes of Alaska’s Republican governor have legally sufficient grounds to pursue their campaign to oust him from office through a recall election, the state’s highest court ruled on Friday.
The campaign to recall Governor Mike Dunleavy, who has about 17 months left in his term, is legal and may proceed, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled.
Whether Dunleavy’s detractors have made their case that his alleged shortcomings – that he is incompetent and corrupt – justify his removal from office is up to the voters, the court said.
Dunleavy, a former teacher, school administrator and legislator representing Wasilla, was elected governor in 2018, positioning himself as a political acolyte of then-U.S. President Donald Trump. His tenure has been rocky as Alaska struggled with financial difficulties and its dependence on dwindling oil revenues.
The governor’s foes argue that he deserves to be recalled because he is unfit and has abused his power. Among grounds cited by recall supporters, Duleavy is accused of illegally using his budget veto to punish judges for abortion-rights rulings and violating ethics laws by using state funds for partisan campaign purposes.