Governor
Murkowski was elected governor on November 5, 2002, receiving nearly 56% of the vote, the highest percentage for any gubernatorial candidate in Alaska history up until that point. He succeeded Democrat Tony Knowles and took office on December 2, 2002.
Upon his inauguration, he resigned his Senate seat and appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, the Majority Leader-designate of the Alaska House of Representatives, in his place. His opponents derided the appointment as an act of nepotism.
Toward the end of his administration he brokered a deal for a gas pipeline that was never considered, in final form, by the legislature. Murkowski threatened to sign the deal without legislative approval, but the legislature successfully brought a lawsuit to enjoin him from doing so.
Governor Murkowski ran for re-election in 2006, but came in third behind former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin and Fairbanks businessman John Binkley in the Republican primary election on August 22, 2006 (Palin winning with 51% and Binkley taking second with 30% to Murkowski's 19%). Most polls had predicted this result. Murkowski left office with one of the nation's worst approval ratings of 19%.
On March 4, 2008, Murkowski's former chief-of-staff, Jim Clark admitted that he was aware that Veco Corp had paid $10,000 for a political poll to gauge the popularity of then-incumbent Governor Murkowski. Clark was charged with "honest services fraud". Before he was sentenced, the US Supreme Court ruled that the statute was drafted with unconstitutional vagueness and henceforth will only cover "fraudulent schemes to deprive another of honest services through bribes or kickbacks supplied by a third party who ha not been deceived." Since Clark was guilty of neither bribes or kickbacks, all charges were voided.
In all, Murkowski spent two years in the armed services, 22 years as Alaska's junior senator in D.C. and four years as governor.
Read more about this topic: Frank Murkowski
Famous quotes containing the word governor:
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