Anchorage mayoral candidate Bill Popp has endorsed former Assembly chair Suzanne LaFrance in the upcoming runoff election.
Popp, the third-place finisher in the city’s mayoral race, announced his endorsement at a news conference Wednesday.
“As mayor I believe she will assure our government will effectively address the issues our city faces today while setting in motion long-term strategies to revitalize Anchorage and set our city back on a path to success and vitality,” Popp said.
In the most recent election results, Popp had about 17% of the vote, behind LaFrance with 36.2% and incumbent Mayor Dave Bronson with 35.6%.
Since neither LaFrance nor Bronson received 45% of the vote, the two candidates will now advance to a runoff election, set for May 14.
The former head of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., Popp entered the mayoral race late, and campaigned on a platform of investing in the city’s future. He said he plans on working on LaFrance’s mayoral transition team if she’s elected, and didn’t rule out working more formally with her administration.
LaFrance said she’s grateful for Popp’s endorsement, and hopes to build out a large coalition of support to beat Bronson.
“It’s very clear that voters in Anchorage want a change, that they want a new mayor,” LaFrance said. “And being able to connect with those folks who supported Bill and supported his vision is very positive for our campaign.”
The fourth-place finisher in the race for mayor, former Democratic state Rep. Chris Tuck, has not formally endorsed a candidate in the runoff. Tuck received about 8% of the vote.
Ballots for the May 14 mail-in runoff will be sent to voters starting on April 30.
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Wesley Early covers Anchorage life and city politics for Alaska Public Media. Reach him at wearly@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @wesley_early. Read more about Wesley here.
