Dunleavy will not challenge Murkowski in 2016, cites need for state budget cuts

U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski is up for reelection later this year. No major candidates have emerged to challenge her, and one Republican who said he was considering a run last May now says he will not pursue the U.S. Senate seat in 2016.

State Senator Mike Dunleavy a Republican from Wasilla says his focus will be on issues facing the legislature in Juneau.

”We’ve got too many things we have to deal with in the State of Alaska. And I’ve got to be honest with you, you can’t take your eye off the ball in this situation for a second. So, I would be doing a disservice, I think, to the people of Alaska [and] myself to do anything other than focus on what we have to do here in Alaska.”

The biggest issue, Dunleavy says, is the state budget. With oil trading at less than $40 per barrel, he says deeper cuts are needed, potentially up to a billion dollars.

”We thought it was bad last year. We lost $600 million when it went from $64 a barrel to $38. So, the hole keeps getting bigger. It doesn’t get smaller, and there’s no more kicking this down the road, because there’s no more road left.”

Senator Dunleavy was in Talkeetna discussing issues of concern with constituents before heading to Juneau to begin the legislative session on January 19^th.