Edie Grunwald suspends campaign as lieutenant governor candidate over Pierce sexual harassment allegations

Republican lieutenant governor candidate Edie Grunwald is withdrawing from the November election after her running mate, former Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Charlie Pierce was sued over allegations he sexually harassed a former borough employee.

Grunwald thanked Alaskans who supported the campaign and encouraged them to vote for fellow Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, but said “recent circumstances” surrounding Pierce had led her to make the decision to step aside.

“I support and advocate for the respectful treatment of women in politics, the workplace and the world in general,” Grunwald said in a prepared statement. “I believe my stepping down at this time is in the best interest of Alaskans and a demonstration of my support for all women, regardless of political affiliation.”

Pierce and Grunwald will remain on the ballot for the Nov. 8 election after the state’s withdrawal deadline passed Sept. 5. Early voting began Monday.

[Alaska governor candidates react to sex-harassment lawsuit against Pierce]

In an email, Grunwald said that her stepping aside does not mean that she is calling on Pierce to withdraw.

“Absolutely not,” she said. “That is his decision. He believes and pushes for liberty and has many accomplishments. This is all very unfortunate. My withdrawal is in no way a reflection of guilt or innocence. It was a difficult decision because people may think it is.”

Pierce appeared on a conservative radio program, “The Michael Dukes Show,” on Tuesday morning and declined to speak about the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him by a former executive assistant who worked in his office when he was borough mayor.

“My attorneys advised me to not talk about future litigation,” he said. “So today I’d like to talk about my campaign and happy to answer any questions about the campaign.”

Pierce finished fourth in August’s primary election with 6.6% of the vote. He has not responded to requests for comment from the Daily News about his plans, but over the weekend, he told the Associated Press that “I’ll be in the race.”

Former independent Gov. Bill Walker, who is running for a second term, thanked Grunwald for stepping aside, saying she had done “the right thing.” He called on Pierce to drop out and invited Gov. Mike Dunleavy to revoke his calls for voters to rank Pierce second. Democratic former state legislator Les Gara made similar calls on social media.

Walker himself dropped out of the 2018 gubernatorial race when running mate and then-lieutenant governor, Democrat Byron Mallot, resigned after accusations of sexual misconduct were brought against him.

Dunleavy told his supporters to rank Pierce second in November during a televised debate last week.

Before Grunwald made her announcement, the incumbent governor had told the Alaska Beacon that “the allegations as described are serious, and we have a system of due process under the law to vet these claims.” Before adding, “Without any way to independently verify these claims at this late date, it would be inappropriate and unfair to all parties involved to make any snap judgments or draw any conclusions from a complaint filed just days ago. I’ve been focused on my race all along, and I’m asking all Alaskans for their support.”

Earlier in the year, the State Central Committee of the Alaska Republican Party endorsed both Dunleavy and Pierce for governor. But there are no plans now to pull Pierce’s endorsement.

The committee is made up of 80-odd members, and is comprised of Republican District chairs and other party officials. It threw its unanimous support behind Dunleavy in January and narrowly approved endorsing Pierce in April as part of a ranked-choice voting strategy.

“Dunleavy is our candidate,” said Cynthia Henry, a high-ranking committee member and Alaska’s Republican National Committee chairwoman. She believed Grunwald had been an asset for Pierce and likely helped him secure the party’s backing.

Two weeks out from the election, Henry said she was confident Dunleavy would win reelection and that she didn’t expect for the party to revoke its endorsement of Pierce.

“I just don’t foresee that,” she said. “Unless there’s a real groundswell.”