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 Results by state house district Murkowski: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Ulmer: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Alaska |
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The 2002 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 5, 2002, for the post of Governor of Alaska. Republican U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski defeated Democratic Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer. Murkowski became the first Republican elected governor of Alaska since Jay Hammond in 1978.
Incumbent Democratic Governor Tony Knowles was term limited from running again. Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer easily won the Democratic primary on August 27 against outsiders Michael Beasley and Bruce Lemke, neither of whom did much campaigning. Meanwhile, Senator Frank Murkowski also gained an easy win in the Republican primary. [1] [2] [3]
Murkowski started the campaign as the clear favorite as Ulmer, despite being lieutenant governor, had a lot less name recognition. [4] Polls initially showed Ulmer about 20 percent behind Murkowski but as the campaign continued Ulmer closed on Murkowski in the polls by concentrating on local issues such as the state budget and by portraying herself as a moderate. [4] [5] By October polls showed the candidates about level with one poll on October 17 showing Ulmer at 46% and Murkowski at 43%. [6]
The biggest issue in the campaign was the economy and what to do about the projected budget shortfall in Alaska. [4] The issue dominated the October debates between the two candidates in Fairbanks and Anchorage. [7] Ulmer argued that the state should consider introducing a statewide tax for the first time since 1980 if the budget reserve fell too far and that state spending should be capped. [7] However Murkowski opposed any new taxes and called his opponent pro-tax. He said that new oil prospects, high oil prices and revenues from other resources could close the gap in the budget. [8]
President George W. Bush made an advertisement supporting Murkowski, who also received support from Republicans Gale Norton, Ted Stevens and Don Young. [9] Ulmer received support from former Republican Governor Jay Hammond, Governor Tony Knowles and called on voters to support her so that Murkowski could stay working as Senator for Alaska in Congress. [10] During the campaign Murkowski refused to say whom he would appoint to serve his remaining two years as U.S. senator but after the election appointed his daughter Lisa Murkowski, majority leader-elect in the Alaska House of Representatives, to fill the seat. [11] [12]
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Frank Murkowski | Fran Ulmer | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 22, 2002 | C-SPAN KUAC-TV | Robert Hannon | C-SPAN | P | P |
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report [13] | Tossup | October 31, 2002 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball [14] | Lean R (flip) | November 4, 2002 |
U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski won the election with 55.85% of the vote, the highest percentage for any Alaska gubernatorial candidate up to that time.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank Murkowski | 129,279 | 55.85 | +38.0 | |
| Democratic | Fran Ulmer | 94,216 | 40.70 | −10.6 | |
| Green | Diane E. Benson | 2,926 | 1.26 | −1.7 | |
| Independence | Don Wright | 2,185 | 0.94 | +0.9 | |
| Republican Moderate | Raymond VinZant | 1,506 | 0.65 | −5.5 | |
| Libertarian | Billy Toien | 1,109 | 0.48 | +0.5 | |
| Write-ins | 263 | 0.11 | −19.7 | ||
| Majority | 35,063 | 15.2 | −17.8 | ||
| Turnout | 231,484 | 50.5 | +1.9 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | −48.2 | |||
Frances Ann "Fran" Ulmer is an American administrator and Democratic politician from the U.S. state of Alaska. She served as the seventh lieutenant governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002 under Governor Tony Knowles, becoming the first woman elected to statewide office in Alaska, and lost the 2002 gubernatorial election against Republican Frank Murkowski. In 2007 she became the Chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA), before serving as Chair of the United States Arctic Research Commission between 2011 and 2020, appointed by President Barack Obama.
Frank Hughes Murkowski is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator representing Alaska from 1981 to 2002 and as the eighth governor of Alaska from 2002 to 2006.
Lisa Ann Murkowski is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States senator representing Alaska, having held that seat since 2002. She is the first woman to represent Alaska in the Senate and the Senate's second-most senior Republican woman, after Susan Collins of Maine. She became dean of Alaska's congressional delegation upon Representative Don Young's death.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2006, in 36 states and two territories. The elections coincided with the midterm elections of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
The 2006 Alaska gubernatorial general election took place on November 7, 2006. The former mayor of Wasilla, Sarah Palin, defeated incumbent governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, and then went on to defeat former governor Tony Knowles in the general election. Palin became the first governor of the state to be born after Alaskan statehood.
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee alongside U.S. Senator John McCain.
Although in its early years of statehood, Alaska was a Democratic state, since the early 1970s it has been characterized as Republican-leaning. Local political communities have often worked on issues related to land use development, fishing, tourism, and individual rights. Alaska Natives, while organized in and around their communities, have been active within the Native corporations. These have been given ownership over large tracts of land, which require stewardship. The state has an independence movement favoring a vote on secession from the United States, with the Alaskan Independence Party, but its membership has shrunk in recent decades.
The 2004 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives, various state and local elections, and the presidential election of that year. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Anchorage, sought election to her first full term after being appointed by her father Frank Murkowski to serve out the rest of the latter's unexpired term when he resigned in December 2002 to become Governor of Alaska. Her main challenger was Democratic former governor Tony Knowles, her father's predecessor as governor. Murkowski won by a slight margin. As of 2022, Senator Murkowski’s vote total of 149,773 votes remains the most raw votes she has ever received during any of her runs for the US Senate.
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The 2010 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 2, 2010. Former Governor Sarah Palin did not run, having resigned in July 2009. Incumbent Governor Sean Parnell, who as lieutenant governor succeeded Palin following her resignation, announced that he would seek a full term.
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The 2014 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska, concurrently with the election of Alaska's Class II U.S. Senate seat, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
Jerry Ward is an American politician and businessman.
The 2016 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2016, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the State of Alaska, concurrently with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.
The 2018 Alaska gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor and lieutenant governor of Alaska. In the primaries for recognized political parties, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately. The winners of each respective primary for governor and lieutenant governor then become a joint ticket in the general election for their political party. Incumbent Independent governor Bill Walker was seeking re-election in what was originally a three-way race between Walker, Republican former Alaska state senator Mike Dunleavy, and Democratic former Alaska U.S. Senator Mark Begich. Despite Walker dropping out on October 19, 2018, and endorsing Begich, Dunleavy won in what was the only gubernatorial gain by a Republican candidate in 2018. As of 2024, this was the last time the Governor's office in Alaska changed partisan control. Walker later unsuccessfully ran for Governor of Alaska in 2022.
Edgar Blatchford is an American politician, academic, and attorney, and perennial candidate who served as the mayor of Seward, Alaska.
The 2022 United States Senate election in Alaska was held on November 8, 2022. Incumbent senator Lisa Murkowski won reelection to a fourth full term, defeating fellow Republican Kelly Tshibaka and Democrat Patricia Chesbro.
Tuckerman Babcock is a political strategist who served as chairman of the Alaska Republican Party from 2016 to 2018.
The 2022 Alaska gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday November 8, 2022, to elect the governor of Alaska. Incumbent Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy won re-election to a second term, becoming the first Republican governor to be re-elected to a second term since Jay Hammond in 1978 and the first governor, regardless of political affiliation, to be re-elected to a second term since Tony Knowles in 1998.
