2004 United States Senate election in Alaska
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| | | Nominee | Lisa Murkowski | Tony Knowles | | Party | Republican | Democratic | Popular vote | 149,773 | 140,424 | Percentage | 48.58% | 45.55% | |
Results by borough and census area Murkowski: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Knowles: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% |
U.S. senator before election Lisa Murkowski[a] Republican | Elected U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski Republican | |
Elections in Alaska |
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The 2004 United States Senate election in Alaska took place on November 2, 2004, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives, various state and local elections, and the presidential election of that year. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Anchorage, sought election to her first full term after being appointed by her father Frank Murkowski to serve out the rest of the latter's unexpired term when he resigned in December 2002 to become Governor of Alaska. Her main challenger was Democratic former governor Tony Knowles, her father's predecessor as governor. Murkowski won by a slight margin. As of 2022, Senator Murkowski’s vote total of 149,773 votes remains the most raw votes she has ever received during any of her runs for the US Senate.
Background
Although Alaska is heavily Republican, popular opinion had swung against the Murkowski family because of a tax increase passed by Governor Frank Murkowski, Lisa Murkowski's father. In addition, many voters disapproved of apparent nepotism in the appointment of Lisa Murkowski to the Senate. Knowles, who as mentioned above preceded Frank Murkowski as governor, had enlisted extensive out-of-state support for his bid to take over Lisa Murkowski's Senate seat. However, veteran Republican Senator Ted Stevens taped advertisements warning Alaskans that electing a Democrat could result in fewer federal dollars for Alaska.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Results
Democratic primary results[1] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Democratic | Tony Knowles | 40,881 | 95.0% |
| Democratic | Don Wright | 1,080 | 2.5% |
| Democratic | Theresa Obermeyer | 1,045 | 2.4% |
Total votes | 43,006 | 100.0% |
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Dore, aviation mechanic
- Mike W. Miller, businessman, former state senator, former state representative, nominee for lieutenant governor in 1994 and younger brother of Terry Miller
- Lisa Murkowski, incumbent U.S. Senator since 2002, formerly an Anchorage lawyer and member of the Alaska House
- Wev Shea, former U.S. Attorney for Alaska
Results
Republican primary results[1] Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| Republican | Lisa Murkowski (incumbent) | 45,710 | 58.1% |
| Republican | Mike Miller | 29,313 | 37.3% |
| Republican | Wev Shea | 2,857 | 3.6% |
| Republican | Jim Dore | 748 | 0.9% |
Total votes | 78,628 | 100.0% |
General election
Candidates
Major
- Tony Knowles, former governor
- Lisa Murkowski (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
Minor
- Ted Gianoutsos (I), lobbyist and activist on ANWR and veterans issues
- Scott Kohlhaas (L), party activist and perennial candidate
- Marc Millican (I), aviator, U.S. Air Force veteran
- Jerry Sanders (AI), businessman, former state representative
- Jim Sykes (G), party activist and perennial candidate
Campaign
Lisa Murkowski had very low approval ratings as senator due to her father, Frank Murkowski, who at the time was the governor of Alaska with extremely low approval ratings himself. Former governor Tony Knowles ran against Murkowski. He ran as a Democrat who supported drilling in ANWR, in contrast to most Democrats. Alaska's senior senator, Ted Stevens, worked to rescue her campaign and help her maintain her seat.[2]
Debates
- Complete video of debate, October 26, 2004
- Complete video of debate, October 28, 2004
Predictions
Polling
Poll source[4] | Dates administered | Murkowski (R) | Knowles (D) |
KTUU | October 4, 2004 | 45% | 48% |
KTUU | October 18, 2004 | 45% | 47% |
McLaughlin | October 28, 2004 | 48% | 43% |
Results
2004 United States Senate election in Alaska[5] Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| Republican | Lisa Murkowski (incumbent) | 149,773 | 48.58% | −25.91% |
| Democratic | Tony Knowles | 140,424 | 45.55% | +25.82% |
| Independent | Marc J. Millican | 8,885 | 2.88% | |
| Independence | Jerry Sanders | 3,785 | 1.23% | |
| Green | Jim Sykes | 3,053 | 0.99% | 2.22% |
| Libertarian | Scott A. Kohlhaas | 1,240 | 0.40% | −1.87% |
| Independent | Ted Gianoutsas | 732 | 0.24% | |
| Write-ins | | 423 | 0.14% | |
Majority | 9,349 | 3.03% | −51.74% |
Turnout | 308,315 | | |
| Republican hold | Swing | | |
Boroughs and census areas that flipped from Republican to Democratic
See also
Notes
- ^ In December 2002, Murkowski was appointed by Governor Frank Murkowski (her father) to fill the vacancy caused by Frank Murkowski himself resigned after being sworn in as Governor of Alaska.
References
- ^ a b "2004 Primary Election - August 24, 2004 Official Results". State of Alaska. September 14, 2004. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009.
- ^ Hulse, Carl (October 31, 2004). "THE 2004 CAMPAIGN: CONTROL OF CONGRESS; Races for House and Senate Have Been Nasty, Expensive and Focused on Local Issues". New York Times. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ "The Final Predictions". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Polls". RealClear Politics. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
- ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 2004" (PDF).
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