Thanks in part to a campaign financing scandal, their ticket finished far behind incumbent Governor Knowles and third behind a write-in candidate, state senator Robin L. Taylor.
Ward was defeated for reelection in 2002 by prison opponent and City of Kenai mayor Tom Wagoner of the Republican Moderate Party.
[3] During his terms in the state senate, Ward was substantially involved in numerous failed attempts to build Alaskan for-profit prisons.
[8] Weimar had a $5.5 million interest, contingent solely on the approval and building of a Cornell Companies prison in Alaska.
[12] Ward ran Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in Alaska, was rewarded with a position in the Department of Education, but resigned not long afterward.