2006 Alaska gubernatorial election

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2006 Alaska gubernatorial election
Flag of Alaska.svg
  2002 November 7, 2006 2010  
  Palin In Carson City On 13 September 2008.jpg Tony Knowles (D-AK) (cropped).jpg
Nominee Sarah Palin Tony Knowles Andrew Halcro
Party Republican Democratic Independent
Running mate Sean Parnell Ethan Berkowitz Fay Von Gemmingen
Popular vote114,69797,23822,443
Percentage48.33%40.97%9.46%

Alaska Governor Election Results by Boroughs, 2006.svg
Borough and census area results
Palin:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%
Knowles:     40–50%     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Governor before election

Frank Murkowski
Republican

Elected Governor

Sarah Palin
Republican

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.

Contents

Palin would later become the unsuccessful Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, before resigning as governor in 2009.

Primaries

Republican primary

Incumbent Frank Murkowski (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.

2006 Republican primary for Alaska governor [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Sarah Palin 51,443 50.59
Republican John Binkley 30,34929.84
Republican Frank Murkowski (incumbent)19,41219.09
Republican Gerald Heikes 2800.28
Republican Merica Hlatcu2110.21
Total votes101,695 100.00

Democratic primary

Former two-term Governor Tony Knowles 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.[ citation needed ]

2006 Democratic primary for Alaska governor [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Tony Knowles 37,316 74.63
Democratic Eric Croft 11,95223.90
Democratic Bruce Lemke7321.46
Total votes50,000 100.00

Other Parties

Alaskan Independence Party

Green Party

Libertarian Party

Independent

General election

Campaign

Republican candidate Sarah Palin, Democratic candidate Tony Knowles, and independent candidate Andrew Halcro faced each other in the general election. Anchorage businessman Andrew Halcro 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 was able to win.

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [3] TossupNovember 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball [4] Lean RNovember 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report [5] Lean RNovember 2, 2006
Real Clear Politics [6] Lean RNovember 6, 2006

Polling

Poll sourceDate(s) administeredSarah
Palin (R)
Tony
Knowles (D)
Rasmussen November 3, 200645%44%
Rasmussen October 9, 200647%40%
Rasmussen September 8, 200652%38%
Rasmussen August 3, 200651%38%
Ivan Moore Research June 7, 200639%43%

Results

2006 Alaska gubernatorial election
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Republican Sarah Palin 114,697 48.33% −7.6%
Democratic Tony Knowles 97,23840.97%+0.3%
Independent Andrew Halcro 22,4439.46%n/a
Independence Don Wright 1,2850.54%−0.4%
Libertarian Billy Toien6820.29%−0.2%
Green David Massie5930.25%−1.0%
Write-in 3840.16%+0.1%
Plurality17,4597.36%
Turnout 238,30751.1%
Republican hold Swing −7.6%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Murkowski</span> American politician (born 1933)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Knowles (politician)</span> Governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002

Anthony Carroll Knowles is an American politician and businessman who served as the seventh governor of Alaska from 1994 to 2002. Barred from seeking a third consecutive term as governor in 2002, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2004 and again for governor in 2006. In September 2008, Knowles became president of the National Energy Policy Institute, a non-profit energy policy organization funded by billionaire George Kaiser's family foundation, and located at the University of Tulsa.

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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.

Eric Chancy Croft is an American attorney and politician who represented Anchorage's West district on the Anchorage Assembly from 2016 to 2019. From 1997 to 2006, Croft served as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives for District 15, representing Spenard, Anchorage. He was also a candidate in the 2006 Alaska gubernatorial election. He received 23.1% of the vote, losing to 68.6% achieved by former governor Tony Knowles. Croft served as Anchorage's school board president from 2013 to 2016. In April 2016, he was elected to the Anchorage Assembly, replacing Ernie Hall, who decided not to run for reelection.

Andrew Halcro is an American politician from Anchorage, Alaska. Formerly a Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, he ran for Governor of Alaska as an independent candidate in the 2006 election, placing third with 9.46 percent of the vote.

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References

  1. "STATE OF ALASKA - 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION AUGUST 22, 2006 OFFICIAL RESULTS". Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  2. "PRIMARY ELECTION August 22, 2006 Primary Election Results". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  3. "2006 Governor Race Ratings for November 6, 2006" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 5, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2006.
  4. "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  5. "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  6. "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.