JUNEAU, Alaska—An Alaska Republican mayor plans to tell Democrats why he’s supporting their presumed presidential nominee Barack Obama.
Fairbanks North Star Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker said Tuesday he accepted an invitation to speak at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Whitaker last week endorsed Obama, who is making a big push in this historically Republican state by establishing five offices in four cities, including two in Anchorage.
Whitaker said he agreed to speak at the convention Aug. 26, even as Alaska holds its state primary that same day. Speaking at the convention is a way of backing up the endorsement, he said.
“My message will be the same as when I was asked why am I supporting Obama,” Whitaker said. “By comparing the two candidates, my conclusion was the policies Obama will enact, will be the result of a considered and intelligent process.”
Obama won Alaska’s Super Tuesday caucus over New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, collecting 75 percent of the support in a record turnout last February.
On the Republican side, presumed GOP nominee John McCain fared poorly, finishing fourth behind Super Tuesday winner Mitt Romney, plus Mike Huckabee and Ron Paul.
Breaking ranks, even for one candidate, can be risky, especially in Alaska, and Whitaker said he understood that. The mayor said he spent several months sorting out the candidates’ qualifications.
Alaska last backed a Democratic candidate for president, Lyndon Johnson, in 1964.
Whitaker said he liked Obama’s forward-looking energy plan, which includes development of renewable and alternative energy that can benefit the resource-rich state.
“The decision to support Sen. Obama was not one that I took lightly,” he said. “Nor was it one that was going to be halfhearted, so when the call came and the request was made I said I would do it.
“I’m not doing it for any other reason other than I think it’s the right thing to do. If I were to characterize this, it would be more keeping the commitment than any kind of excitement or nervousness.”
Pete Rouse, Obama senior campaign adviser, said Whitaker’s endorsement is consistent with his candidate’s message of bridging a widening partisan gap.
“This reinforces our view that Sen. Obama’s appeal goes past the red-state, blue-state divide, including a state like Alaska, a state important to our energy future,” Rouse said.
A spokesman from McCain’s campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.
