Posted on 10/18/2005 9:57:43 PM PDT by AlaskaErik
Anchorage, Alaska - The 2006 race for governor now has its first official Republican candidate. Former two-term Wasilla Mayor Sarah Palin announced Tuesday that she is beginning her bid to become Alaska's first female chief executive.
Palin's candidacy was one of two that kicked into gear Tuesday, which is Alaska Day. Democratic Rep. Ethan Berkowitz also held a fund-raiser today. While other candidacies need to be decided upon and announced, the gubernatorial campaign is already taking shape.
“I'm very, very excited and humbled to get to announce today that I am running for governor, and I thank you for being here for that,” said Palin.
Palin surrounded herself with family and friends at her Wasilla home as she formally announced her bid for governor. The bid, if successful, would be history-making.
“We deserve leaders who aren't going to approach all our issues with just merely a partisan approach. So, having said that, we're taking it on in the primary election with the Republican Party. And I look forward to the challenge. It's going to exhilarating, it's going to be motivating, those dynamics involved in a closed primary,” said Palin.
Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski has not said whether he is running for re-election, nor have other much-talked-about potential Republican candidates such as Lt. Gov. Loren Leman. But a second Democratic candidate is in the fray, with Berkowitz joining fellow Anchorage Democratic Rep. Eric Croft.
“I think it's time for the state to go back to a point where we remembered that we were Alaskans first. I’m going to bring that to the race. I’m going to talk about issues that resonate with Alaskans -- how we can reduce the cost of energy to Alaskans, how we can improve the quality of education for all Alaskans, and how we can do something about the health care crisis,” said Berkowitz.
Former state Republican representative and newspaper columnist Andrew Halcro, a likely candidate for governor himself, says that age is a factor in the coming race.
“You see a generational shift. I mean, Ethan’s 43, Eric’s 41, Sarah’s 41, I’m 41. I think you have those of us who look at government and say ‘Wait a minute, I want this state to be in a dramatically different position in 10, 15 years when we pass the baton to the next generation,’” said Halcro.
All of the potential candidates think the time is right. But with the election more than a year away, only time can prove them right.
Palin says she is willing to challenge Murkowski if he decides to seek reelection. She remains critical of ethics controversies that have occurred on Murkowski’s watch, involving former Attorney General Gregg Renkes and state Republican chairman Randy Ruedrich. In an interview with KTUU Tuesday, Ruedrich said that he will offer equal assistance to all Republican candidates prior to the party primary next August. But Ruedrich also noted that another critic of his, U.S. Senate candidate Wev Shea, finished a distant third in last year’s Republican primary.
Palin says it’s a plus that she hasn’t spent most of her life in politics.
I am glad she's running, and I think she has a great chance of winning. And you are right, she is not hard to look at..............
But can she beat Frank$ money machine?
The problem with Frank is that he did what he said he would do...reduce the size and scope of government. He made a lot of hard choices...choices that had to be made but weren't made by self-serving politicians who preceeded him, but now his popularity is very low. I believe he also ran on the premise of being a one-term governor.
Agreed. I think he also ran so he could appoint Lisa which is not a bad thing in my opinion. It didn't look good, but we got a good Senator............
Gack! Should be an interesting set of ads for the upcoming silly season, if you can stomach it.
I expect the Rats to come out slinging mud. I mean, look at Fran in the last election. The first thing she did is say that Frank would make abortion illeagal. Now how pathetic is that? On the other hand, Sarah is a pretty classy lady, so I expect her ads will tell Alaskans what her administration's goals will be.
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