# 2006 Alaska gubernatorial election

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* This article is part of a series about Sarah Palin
Early political career
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Going Rogue: An American Life
Sarah Palin's Alaska :
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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.
Palin would later become the unsuccessful Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, before resigning as governor in 2009.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* John Binkley, Fairbanks businessman and former State Senator from Bethel
* Gerald Heikes
* 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 (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.

### Results

2006 Republican primary for Alaska governor :
| Party | 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 | Total votes | Total votes | 101,695 | 100.00 |

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* Eric Croft, State Representative from Spenard, Anchorage
* Tony Knowles, former Governor of Alaska (1995–2003)
* 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 fund raising.

### Results

2006 Democratic primary for Alaska governor :
| Party | 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 | Total votes | 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)

### 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

| Source | Ranking | As of |
| The Cook Political Report | Tossup | November 6, 2006 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean R | November 6, 2006 |
| Rothenberg Political Report | Lean R | November 2, 2006 |
| Real Clear Politics | Lean R | November 6, 2006 |

### Polling

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

### Results

2006 Alaska gubernatorial election :
| Party | 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 | Write-in | 384 | 0.16% | +0.1% |
| Plurality | Plurality | Plurality | 17,459 | 7.36% | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 238,307 | 51.1% | |
| | Republican hold | Republican hold | Swing | −7.6% | |