Alaska Senate   Lisa Murkowski (R) defeated Tony Knowles (D)  • LATEST POLLS    • CAMPAIGN ADS    • NEWS FROM HOTLINE    • CANDIDATE LINKS    • ELECTION RESULTS    • ALL SENATE TIP SHEETS

Incumbent Lisa Murkowski (R) bested former Gov. Tony Knowles (D), 49 percent to 45 percent, to win her first election after being appointed to the seat by her father Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) in December 2002.

  • On The Trail Rank: 3 of 34 (Analysis)
  • Cook Rating: Toss Up (Analysis)
  • Filing Deadline: June 1, 2004
  • Primary Date: Aug. 24, 2004
  • 1998 Results: Frank Murkowski (R) won
    a fourth term with 74 percent of the vote.

Poll Track

For more numbers on this race, see Poll Track.

LATEST POLL

Murkowski (R)
Knowles (D)
A McLaughlin & Associates (R) poll; conducted 10/28-29, 31/04 for the NRSC; surveyed 500 likely voters; margin of error +/-4.5% (release, 11/1).

Campaign Ads

Search the archives for all 2004 campaign commercials in Ad Spotlight.

• In Alaska, Senate Hopefuls Bring On-Air Brawl To A Close (Oct. 29, 2004)
  
• New Democrat Network Warns Of Health Care Crisis (Oct. 25, 2004)
  
• In Alaska, Senate Candidates Saturate The Airwaves (Oct. 21, 2004)
  
• Voting Records Return To The Foreground In Alaska Ads (Oct. 14, 2004)
  
• NRSC Tries To Spice Things Up In Alaska Senate Race (Sept. 30, 2004)
  
• Knowles, Murkowski Trade Jabs On Oil, ANWR, Fishing (Sept. 22, 2004)
  
• Actor In NRSC Ads Sparks Ire From Knowles Campaign (Sept. 14, 2004)
  
• Knowles, Murkowski Keep Battling It Out In Alaska (Sept. 10, 2004)
  
• Murkowski, Miller Sharpen Attacks (Aug. 20, 2004)
  
• Murkowski, Knowles Battle It Out In Alaska (Aug. 13, 2004)
  

News From Hotline

For more headlines on this race and other contests, see News Search.

LATEST HEADLINES


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Field Of Candidates

The Republican candidate for this race is:

SEN. LISA MURKOWSKI (R) -- Incumbent   • Campaign Web site   • Official Web site   • Almanac profile

The Democratic candidate for this race is:

TONY KNOWLES (D) -- Former governor   • Campaign Web site

Election Results

2004 General	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Lisa Murkowski (R)	121,027	49%	N/A
	Tony Knowles (D)	110,699	45%	N/A
	Other	13,999	6%	N/A
2004 Primary	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Lisa Murkowski (R)	38,361	58%	N/A
	Tony Knowles (D)	34,070	95%	N/A
	Mike Miller (R)	24,516	37%	N/A
	Wev Shea (R)	2,480	4%	N/A
1998 General	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Frank Murkowski (R)	165,227	74%	$911,926
	Joseph Sonneman (D)	43,743	20%	$26,091
	Other	12,837	6%	N/A
1998 Primary	Candidate	Total Votes	Percent	Expenditures
	Frank Murkowski (R)	76,635	72%	N/A
	Joseph Sonneman (D)	10,716	10%	N/A
	Frank Vondersaar (D)	6,343	6%	N/A
	William L. Hale (R)	6,312	6%	N/A
	Jeffrey Gottlieb (Green)	4,793	4%	N/A
	Other	1,986	2%	N/A

Cook Report Analysis

(Note: Analysis was published in October 2004 and does not reflect events that occurred after that date)

Even though Alaska hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1974, the state's 2004 contest is one of the most competitive in the nation. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski is saddled with considerable baggage because her father, Frank Murkowski, appointed her to replace him in the Senate after he was elected governor in 2002. The younger Murkowski isn't helped by the fact that Gov. Murkowski became unpopular after breaking campaign promises. And Democrats recruited the strongest possible Senate challenger in former two-term Gov. Tony Knowles.

Lisa Murkowski took 58 percent of the vote in the August GOP primary, easily turning back a challenge from former state Senate President Mike Miller, who argued that the incumbent is not conservative enough. Sen. Murkowski, continually under fire for being a beneficiary of nepotism, asks voters to judge her on what she's done in her short tenure in the Senate, not on how she got there.

Knowles is running an aggressive race. He argues that Alaska needs a Democratic voice in the nation's capital. Knowles, who supports drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, contends that drilling has a better chance of winning Senate approval if Alaska has someone well positioned to lobby Senate Democrats. He has not been helped by the fact that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry is one of the Senate's most vocal foes of drilling in ANWR. The stance of Tom Daschle, who has called drilling in ANWR unnecessary, has also hurt Knowles.

Murkowski and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have used television advertising to challenge Knowles on ANWR, pointing out that he did not persuade President Clinton to sign ANWR legislation in 1994. Republicans also criticize Knowles's record as governor, noting that on his watch the state lost thousands of jobs and the size of government increased.

Knowles has fired back, stressing that Murkowski has voted against veterans' health care legislation, as well as efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Playing off Murkowski's slogan, many of Knowles's campaign ads end: "It's not how she got the job; it's what she's done with it."

Polling shows a very tight general election race. In nearly every published survey, Knowles has been ahead by 1 or 2 points. And Democrats predict that Murkowski won't get many undecided voters. Republicans contend, though, that the state's strong GOP tilt will help push Murkowski across the finish line in November.