Taylor Bickford (Walker), Willis Lyford (Samuels)

(Anchorage) Republican candidates for Governor Ralph Samuels and Bill Walker joined forces today in saying that they won’t allow stand-ins for Governor Sean Parnell at future gubernatorial debates and forums. Samuels and Walker made the declaration after a Fairbanks campaign event Sunday that Parnell did not attend but instead submitted pre-recorded answers to questions on videotape, and a state employee who works in Parnell’s official office stood in for Parnell.

“Clearly, it is the Governor’s intention to limit his appearances at campaign events where his challengers are present. By his unwillingness to participate, Sean Parnell reveals both how little regard he has for the election process and how unwilling he is to defend the misguided policies of his Administration,” Samuels and Walker said.

At the Sunday Fairbanks events, Parnell delivered pre-recorded answers on videotape, prepared ahead of time, rather than appear in person, Walker and Samuels noted. They also objected to the presence of a state-paid official, Gene Therriault, who participated in Parnell’s absence.

“This was a campaign event, and for the Governor to have someone on his official staff represent him blurs the lines between official and campaign functions. The Governor has a campaign organization, and paid campaign staff. There is no excuse for permitting official staff to participate, except that this is part of a planned and organized effort by this Governor to use his official offices and his official staff to promote his re-election,” the two said.

“Sean Parnell has adopted a Rose Garden strategy of campaigning in his official capacity. Well, he should get out from behind the rose bushes to where real Alaskans are and he will learn just how concerned voters are about his misguided policies and our state’s future,” said Samuels.

“It is troubling to see Sean Parnell consistently avoid public discourse about the issues that will determine our future. As candidates for Governor, we all have a responsibility to engage the people of Alaska and that is what I am committed to doing for the remainder of the campaign. You have to ask yourself why a person would run for the highest office in our state if they are not comfortable defending their positions in a public forum,” Walker said.