2006 Alaska gubernatorial election

2006 Alaska gubernatorial election
	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. Former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin defeated incumbent governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican primary, and then went on to defeat Democratic former governor Tony Knowles and independent Andrew Halcro in the general election. Palin became the first governor of the state to be born after Alaskan statehood.

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

Republican primary

Candidates

John Binkley, Fairbanks businessman and former State Senator from Bethel
Gerald Heikes, minister at Anchorage's nondenominational Bethel Chapel and perennial candidate
Merica Hlatcu
Frank Murkowski, incumbent Governor since 2003
Sarah Palin, former mayor of Wasilla (1996–2003) and chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (2003–04)

Incumbent Frank Murkowski, 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%.^[1]

Results

2006 Republican primary for Alaska governor^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sarah Palin	51,443	50.59
	Republican	John Binkley	30,349	29.84
	Republican	Frank Murkowski (incumbent)	19,412	19.09
	Republican	Gerald Heikes	280	0.28
	Republican	Merica Hlatcu	211	0.21
Total votes			101,695	100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Eric Croft, State Representative from Spenard, Anchorage
Tony Knowles, former Governor of Alaska (1994–2002)
Bruce Lemke

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 fundraising.^{[citation needed]}

Results

2006 Democratic primary for Alaska governor^[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Tony Knowles	37,316	74.63
	Democratic	Eric Croft	11,952	23.90
	Democratic	Bruce Lemke	732	1.46
Total votes			50,000	100.00

General election

Candidates

Andrew Halcro, president and CEO of Avis Alaska and former State Representative from Anchorage (Independent)
Tony Knowles, former Governor of Alaska (1995–2003) (Democratic)
David Massie (Green)
Sarah Palin, former mayor of Wasilla (1996–2003) and chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (2003–04) (Republican)
Billy Toien, candidate for governor in 2002 (Libertarian)
Don Wright, bush pilot and perennial candidate (Alaska Independence)

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report^[4]	Tossup	November 6, 2006
Sabato's Crystal Ball^[5]	Lean R	November 6, 2006
Rothenberg Political Report^[6]	Lean R	November 2, 2006
Real Clear Politics^[7]	Lean R	November 6, 2006

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sarah Palin (R)	Tony Knowles (D)
Rasmussen^[8]	November 3, 2006	45%	44%
Rasmussen^[9]	October 9, 2006	47%	40%
Rasmussen^[10]	September 8, 2006	52%	38%
Rasmussen^[11]	August 3, 2006	51%	38%
Ivan Moore Research^[12]	June 7, 2006	39%	43%

Results

2006 Alaska gubernatorial election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Sarah Palin	114,697	48.33%	−7.6%
	Democratic	Tony Knowles	97,238	40.97%	+0.3%
	Independent	Andrew Halcro	22,443	9.46%	n/a
	Independence	Don Wright	1,285	0.54%	−0.4%
	Libertarian	Billy Toien	682	0.29%	−0.2%
	Green	David Massie	593	0.25%	−1.0%
	Write-in		384	0.16%	+0.1%
Plurality			17,459	7.36%
Turnout			238,307	51.1%
	Republican hold		Swing	−7.6%

References

^ "SurveyUSA | APPROVAL RATINGS FOR ALL 50 GOVERNORS AS OF 08/22/06". SurveyUSA. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2005.
^ "STATE OF ALASKA - 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION AUGUST 22, 2006 OFFICIAL RESULTS". Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.
^ "PRIMARY ELECTION August 22, 2006 Primary Election Results". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
^ "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.
^ "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ Rasmussen
^ Ivan Moore Research

Christiansen, Scott. Grooming the gov: Frank Murkowski seems to be in an endless battle with reporters. That may be just the way he likes it. Anchorage Press. June 22, 2005.
Moore, Jason. Croft takes first step into governor's race^{[permanent dead link]}. KTUU. June 16, 2005.
State of Alaska Division of Elections results

External links

[1] "SurveyUSA | APPROVAL RATINGS FOR ALL 50 GOVERNORS AS OF 08/22/06". SurveyUSA. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2005.

[2] "STATE OF ALASKA - 2006 PRIMARY ELECTION AUGUST 22, 2006 OFFICIAL RESULTS". Archived from the original on March 4, 2010. Retrieved February 11, 2010.

[results-3] "PRIMARY ELECTION August 22, 2006 Primary Election Results". Archived from the original on November 27, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2009.

[4] "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.

[5] "Election Eve 2006: THE FINAL PREDICTIONS". Sabato's Crystal Ball. November 6, 2006. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[6] "2006 Gubernatorial Ratings". Senate Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[7] "Election 2006". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved June 25, 2021.

[8] Rasmussen

[9] Rasmussen

[10] Rasmussen

[11] Rasmussen

[12] Ivan Moore Research

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v t e Sarah Palin
9th Governor of Alaska (2006–2009) Mayor of Wasilla (1996–2002) Born (1964-02-11)February 11, 1964
Politics	Electoral history Political positions Early political career Mayor of Wasilla Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center Governor of Alaska Election Alaska Public Safety Commissioner dismissal Gravina Island Bridge 2008 vice presidential candidacy McCain presidential campaign Election Vice presidential candidate selection Convention Vice presidential debate Drill, baby, drill Mama grizzly Saturday Night Live parodies Katie Couric interviews The Masked Avengers' prank Email hack 2022 U.S. house campaigns Special election Regular election
Books and media by Palin	Going Rogue: An American Life America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag Good Tidings and Great Joy: Protecting the Heart of Christmas Sweet Freedom: A Devotional Sarah Palin's Alaska Amazing America with Sarah Palin Sarah Palin Channel
Book and media coverage about Palin	Public image and reception Saturday Night Live parodies Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down Katie Couric interviews Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare Game Change (book, film) The Undefeated
Family	Todd Palin (ex-husband) Bristol Palin (daughter) Levi Johnston (father of grandson) Dakota Meyer (ex-son-in-law)
Related	Death panel
Conservatism portal Category

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Results

General election

Candidates

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links