1994 Alaska gubernatorial election

The 1994 Alaska gubernatorial election happened on November 8, 1994. Voters in Alaska, United States, chose their next governor. The race was very close. Democratic candidate Tony Knowles won the election. He beat the Republican candidate Jim Campbell and Lieutenant Governor Jack Coghill from the Alaskan Independence Party.

This election was special because it was the only state where a Democratic candidate won a governorship in 1994. That year, many other states elected Republican leaders, a time known as the Republican Revolution. So, Alaska’s choice stood out as different from most of the country.

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary for the 1994 Alaska gubernatorial election, Tony Knowles, who used to be the mayor of Anchorage, won the nomination to be the party's candidate for governor. He had served as mayor from 1982 to 1987.

Other candidates in the primary who did not win were Sam Cotten, a former speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, and Steve McAlpine, a former lieutenant governor of Alaska.

Other candidates

Governor Wally Hickel, who was first elected with the Alaskan Independence Party in 1990, switched back to the Republican Party in April 1994 and decided not to run again.

In the Republican race, businessman Jim Campbell narrowly won against Tom Fink, another former mayor of Anchorage. Jack Coghill, the current Lieutenant Governor, became the candidate for the Alaskan Independence Party, and Jim Sykes ran for the Green Party of Alaska. Ralph Winterrowd, a businessman from Anchorage, ran for the Patriot Party.

Campaign

In the 1994 Alaska gubernatorial election, the two main candidates were seen as middle-of-the-road leaders. They both supported exploring for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and wanted to reduce the state's spending. Surveys close to the election day showed that Tony Knowles was leading ahead of Jim Campbell.

One of Campbell's campaign ads made a comparison between Knowles's hair and President Bill Clinton's hair. Supporters of Knowles were upset by this ad, feeling it suggested Knowles behaved badly toward women, similar to claims about Clinton.

Polling

Recount

The race for governor between Tony Knowles and Jim Campbell was very close. After counting all the votes, Knowles was ahead by just 528 votes. He announced his win on November 18. Campbell asked for a recount because the results were so tight. During the recount, the gap became even smaller, but Knowles still won by the narrowest margin in Alaska's history.

Some people offered raffles and free gasoline to encourage more people to vote. These actions were allowed by election officials to help get more voters to the polls.

Election results

On November 8, 1994, voters in Alaska chose a new governor. Tony Knowles, who belonged to the Democratic Party, won the election by a small margin. He beat Jim Campbell from the Republican Party and Jack Coghill, who ran for the Alaskan Independence Party. This election was special because it was the only one in 1994 where a Democratic candidate took over a governorship that had been held by a Republican.