Alaska gubernatorial election, 2006
Encyclopedia
The 2006 Alaska gubernatorial general election took place on November 7, 2006. The former mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin
, was elected governor.
(R), first elected governor in 2002, ran for reelection but was defeated in a landslide in the Republican
primary by former Wasilla
mayor Sarah Palin
on August 22, 2006. Murkowski's approval rating at the time of the election was 19%. Murkowski also faced opposition from former state lawmaker and Fairbanks
businessman John Binkley
.
and state lawmaker Eric Croft
competed for the Democratic
ticket for governor. Knowles had a substantial lead over Croft, both at the polls and with fund raising.
ran as an Independent in the race for governor. Halcro has served in the Alaska State legislature in the past, and is known as a fiscal hawk. Halcro collected about 4,000 signatures to be placed on the general election ballot without party affiliation. Despite Knowles' experience, Palin's charisma and conservatism
was able to win her first statewide election.
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
, was elected governor.
Republican primary
Incumbent Frank MurkowskiFrank Murkowski
Francis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
(R), first elected governor in 2002, ran for reelection but was defeated in a landslide in the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
primary by former Wasilla
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
mayor Sarah Palin
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
on August 22, 2006. Murkowski's approval rating at the time of the election was 19%. Murkowski also faced opposition from former state lawmaker and Fairbanks
Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks is a home rule city in and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska.Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, and second largest in the state behind Anchorage...
businessman John Binkley
John Binkley
John Binkley is an Alaskan politician and a former Republican candidate for the office of Alaska governor in the 2006 election.-Biography :...
.
Democratic primary
Former two-term Governor Tony KnowlesTony Knowles (politician)
Anthony Carroll Knowles is an American Democratic politician and businessman who served as the seventh Governor of Alaska from December 1994 to December 2002. Barred from seeking a third consecutive term as governor in 2002, he ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2004 and again for governor in...
and state lawmaker Eric Croft
Eric Croft
Eric Croft was a Democratic State Representative from Anchorage, Alaska and was a candidate in the August 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary election in Alaska...
competed for the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
ticket for governor. Knowles had a substantial lead over Croft, both at the polls and with fund raising.
Alaskan Independence Party
- Don WrightDon Wright (politician)Donald Rose "Don" Wright is an American politician and former president of the Alaska Federation of Natives, serving from 1970 to 1972 during the height of activity over passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Most of his notoriety in Alaskan politics has come as a perennial candidate...
- bush pilot, '02 gubernatorial nominee
Campaign
Republican candidate Sarah Palin, Democratic candidate Tony Knowles, and independent candidate Andrew Halcro faced each other in the general election. Anchorage businessman Andrew HalcroAndrew Halcro
Andrew Halcro is an American politician from Anchorage, Alaska. Formerly a Republican member of the Alaska Legislature, he ran for Governor of Alaska as an Independent candidate in the 2006 election, running third with 9.46% of the vote.-Early life:Halcro was born in San Francisco, California to...
ran as an Independent in the race for governor. Halcro has served in the Alaska State legislature in the past, and is known as a fiscal hawk. Halcro collected about 4,000 signatures to be placed on the general election ballot without party affiliation. Despite Knowles' experience, Palin's charisma and conservatism
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
was able to win her first statewide election.
Polling
| Source | Date | Palin (R) | Knowles (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasmussen | November 3, 2006 | 45% | 44% |
| Rasmussen | October 9, 2006 | 47% | 40% |
| Field Research Corporation | October 5, 2006 | 49% | 37% |
| Rasmussen | September 8, 2006 | 52% | 38% |
| Rasmussen | August 3, 2006 | 51% | 38% |
| Ivan Moore Research | June 7, 2006 | 39% | 43% |