JUNEAU, Alaska — Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott resigned Tuesday over what Gov. Bill Walker called "inappropriate comments." The resignation complicates what was already a difficult re-election fight for Walker, a man with whom Mallott shared a brother-like bond. Walker, in a release, said he learned late Monday that Mallott had made "inappropriate comments" not suitable for his office. "As leaders, we must hold ourselves to the highest standards of conduct," he said. Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott speaks during a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on Sept. 21, 2015. Mark Thiessen / AP file The resignation was announced shortly after Walker participated in a debate in Anchorage. His statement did not specify what comments Mallott had made. A spokesman for Walker said there would be a later news conference addressing the matter. State health commissioner Valerie Davidson was sworn in as lieutenant governor. Davidson said she was "deeply saddened" by Mallott's resignation but also "profoundly disappointed by his conduct." It is with profound disappointment that we accepted the resignation of Byron Mallott as Lieutenant Governor. It is our honor to introduce Lt. Governor Valerie Davidson in her new role. We are grateful for her commitment to serve our people and our state with strength and grace. pic.twitter.com/4XrCV9H9kr — Governor Bill Walker (@AkGovBillWalker) October 16, 2018 "Respect for women, and the dignity of all Alaskans, is our responsibility," she said in a release. A message was left seeking comment from Mallott. Mallott and Walker had forged a tight bond since joining forces as part of a unity ticket in 2014. That year, they were each running for governor and saw joining together as their best shot at defeating Republican Gov. Sean Parnell. As part of the arrangement, supported by state Democrats, Walker changed his party affiliation from Republican to undeclared and Mallott, a Democrat, abandoned his gubernatorial ambitions to be Walker's running mate.<doc-sep>SEATTLE — The lieutenant governor of Alaska, Byron Mallott, resigned abruptly on Tuesday after making what Gov. Bill Walker, a political Independent, called “inappropriate” but unspecified comments. The resignation threw an already tight re-election effort by Mr. Walker into even more uncertain territory with only a few weeks before voting begins. Mr. Mallott, 75, is the state’s most prominent Native Alaskan politician, a member of the Tlingit people, and has been a hugely popular figure in rural tribal areas of the state. As a Democrat, he was also part of an unlikely political marriage with Mr. Walker, a former Republican who left his party to run as an Independent in 2014. In his first term, Mr. Walker repeatedly referred to Mr. Mallott as his partner in dealing with a huge budget deficit that has required painful cuts to state programs and a reduction in payments to Alaskans from a fund created by decades of oil tax revenues.<doc-sep>ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - Alaska Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott resigned abruptly on Tuesday in a murky scandal over admitted “inappropriate comments” as he and his running mate, Governor Bill Walker, neared the end of a tough re-election campaign. Mallott, 75, a Democrat and the first Alaska Native elected to statewide office, had teamed up with Walker, a former Republican turned independent, to run on a unity ticket four years ago, and the two men were seeking a second term together in the Nov. 6 election. Valerie Nurr’araaluk Davidson, also an Alaska Native and formerly the state’s health and social services commissioner, was sworn in on Tuesday to succeed Mallott, the governor’s office said in a statement. A spokeswoman for the Walker-Mallott campaign said it was too close to the election to remove Mallott’s name from the ballot, but that if the governor prevailed in November, Davidson would step in to serve as lieutenant governor. Walker faces a challenge from Republican former state legislator Mike Dunleavy and Democrat Mark Begich, a former U.S. senator and Anchorage mayor, in a three-way race where opinion polls show Dunleavy well in the lead. Walker and Begich are widely seen as taking votes away from each another, and Mallott’s resignation sparked speculation among political analysts that the scandal might benefit Begich by leading Walker supporters to throw their support to the Democrat. The genesis of the shake-up remained unclear. Walker said he learned of “the incident” on Monday night, and accepted his running mate’s resignation with “profound disappointment and sadness.” Mallott “recently made inappropriate comments that do not reflect the sterling level of behavior required in his role as Lieutenant Governor,” his statement said. ‘RESPECT FOR WOMEN’ In a resignation letter released shortly after he stepped down, Mallott said his departure was “compelled by inappropriate comments I made that placed a person whom I respect and revere in a position of vulnerability.” His actions had “compromised” Walker’s ability to lead, he said. Neither the governor nor Mallott explained the nature of the comments in question. Davidson was quoted separately as saying: “Respect for women, and the dignity of all Alaskans, is our responsibility. I stand ready to serve as your lieutenant governor.” Neither she nor the governor took questions after delivering brief remarks to reporters. Mallott, a Tlingit tribal member and a longtime fixture in Alaska politics and Alaska Native causes, had a close relationship with Walker, and guided the administration’s climate-change policy. His resignation came on the eve of the annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), a powerful constituency in the state. Mallott was scheduled to address the meeting. The AFN had opposed Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court even before accusations of sexual assault became public, because of their concerns about his record on Native American rights, labor and environmental concerns. Although a Democrat, Mallott co-chaired Lisa Murkowski’s successful 2010 write-in campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate as an independent. Murkowski was the only member of the Senate Republican caucus who did not vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation.<doc-sep>
Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott resigned Tuesday after making what Gov. Bill Walker described as "inappropriate comments." Photo courtesy State of Alaska Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Alaska's lieutenant governor resigned Tuesday after unspecified "inappropriate comments," Gov. Bill Walker said. Walker announced that state health commissioner Valerie Davidson was sworn in as lieutenant governor after he accepted Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott's resignation. "Byron recently made inappropriate comments that do not reflect the sterling level of behavior required in his role as lieutenant governor," Walker said. "I learned of the incident last night. Byron has taken full responsibility for his actions and has resigned." Mallott issued a resignation letter, obtained by Alaska's KTUU, in which he said he made inappropriate comments "that placed a person whom I respect and revere in a position of vulnerability." During a press conference on Tuesday afternoon Walker wouldn't elaborate further than to say Mallott made "inappropriate overtures" Sunday night and said the victim has asked not to be revealed. "Anything more than that would be, I think, disrespectful and would not honor her request," Walker said. Walker added Mallott expressed he felt it would be appropriate for him to resign, "once he realized the impact of what he had said." Davidson issued her own statement, saying she was "profoundly disappointed" in Mallott's conduct. "Respect for women and the dignity of all Alaskans is our responsibility," she said. Walker said it was too late to remove Mallott's name from the ballot in the upcoming midterm election, but said Mallott wouldn't accept the position of lieutenant governor if elected.