Group launches effort to recall Alaska governor

A group in Alaska has launched an effort to recall Gov. Michael Dunleavy (R), accusing him of misusing and vetoing state funds, refusing to appoint a judge and violating separation of powers, CNN reported.

The Recall Dunleavy group began collecting signatures from Alaska residents in nearly two dozen cities this week. The group needs to collect the number of signatures equal to 10 percent of those who voted in the general election for the recall effort to proceed, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.

{mosads}”I think whenever you make difficult decisions and people are involved, such as these vetoes, this is not necessarily a shock or surprising. I believe in public engagement. I believe that the people have a right to voice their opinion,” Dunleavy told reporters in a video he shared last month.

“There is a process for everything, including the idea of a recall. It’s got criteria for that recall to be successful,” Dunleavy continued.

The recall movement comes as the governor is at the center of a months-long budget battle.

In June, Dunleavey cut $444 million from the state budget for the 2020 fiscal year, which included a $130 million cut in state funding to the University of Alaska system, according to CNN. 

After unsuccessfully trying to override the cuts, the Alaska state legislature sued the governor for the cuts against schools. The funds will be available while the case goes to court.

The Recall Dunleavy group alleges that the governor vetoed government funding for the court system as a retaliation against the Alaska Supreme Court deciding that funding for “elective abortions” is required from the state. Dunleavy cut nearly $335,000 from the state’s Supreme Court budget, according to an Anchorage, Alaska NBC affiliate.

The group also argues that Dunleavy did not appoint a Superior Court judge in the mandatory 45-day period after nominees were presented to him and that he vetoed $18 million more in funding than he meant to. The group also says Dunleavy used state funds for partisan advertisements.

The Hill has reached out to Dunleavy’s office.