Ahead of criminal arraignment, former Rep. Zach Fansler has finally withdrawn from election

Former Rep. Zach Fansler has finally withdrawn from the Democratic primary for the Bethel House seat he once held.

Fansler resigned from the Legislature on Feb. 12, two weeks after the Juneau Empire published a story charging that he violently attacked a woman after a night of drinking. He’s due in a Juneau courtroom tomorrow to be arraigned on charges from the state’s Office of Special Prosecutions for the incident.

While the charges come up short of assault, the court date looks like it’ll finally bring an end to nearly six months of uncertainty since the attack took place.

All the while, though, Fansler had been officially registered to run in the Alaska Democratic Party’s primary for House District 38. That would have pitted the disgraced former legislator against Rep. Tiffany Zulkosky, the woman local party officials and Gov. Bill Walker selected to replace him. Most politicos figured his continued presence in the primary wasn’t a serious attempt to reclaim the seat as registered well before the attack came to light, but many found his continued presence in the race as insulting.

Candidates have until July 2 to withdraw from the primary race and can do so by a signed note to the director of Elections.

Fansler is due in Juneau court tomorrow, where he’s expected to enter a guilty plea to second degree harassment with offensive physical contact, a class B misdemeanor.