Alaska State Dems are charging that GOP gubernatorial candidate Sarah Palin published a newspaper ad on Tuesday which hoodwinked voters into supporting her winning primary bid. From the Alaska Daily News:

[Democrats] also criticized a sticky-note campaign ad that Palin put on the front of the Daily News Tuesday, saying it mislead voters. The note included a picture of Palin and said: "Thank you for taking a stand and for your vote today! If you are undeclared or non-partisan, you must ask for the Republican ballot."

Some voters thought that meant they had no choice but to choose the Republican ballot when really they could have selected either, said Democrats, who called the ad misleading.

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Unpopular Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski suffered a stinging defeat in the GOP primary yesterday, pulling a dismal 19 percent of the vote, while former Wasilla mayor Sarah Palin won with 51 percent. Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Lt. Gov. Mary Fallin sailed to victory, beating Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett with 63 percent of the vote for GOP nomination in the race for the House seat being vacated by Rep. Ernest Istook. And finally, in Wyoming, popular incumbent Gov. Dave Freudenthal crushed Dem primary challenger Al Hamburg.

Southcentral Alaska was hit with floods this weekend, and while all the Elections Board says all polling places are open, it doesn't sound too good:

[Alaska Division of Elections Director Whitney] Brewster said Monday she had been unable to contact the chairmen of three polling locations because of electrical outages.

But those locations have received their election materials, Brewster said. If there is no electricity today, poll workers will hand count paper ballots instead of uploading them into the division's central system.

If he's upset about losing today's primary amid his plummeting numbers in Alaska, Gov. Frank Murkowski certainly won't find any solace in SurveyUSA's monthly gubernatorial rankings, either: he's 49th in popularity nationwide. Only Ohio's Bob Taft, indicted and convicted for failing to report lobbying contributions, is more loathed by his constituents. Kentucky's Ernie Fletcher, also indicted in a corruption scandal, is slightly more popular than Murkowski.

With GOP incumbent Frank Murkowski running third in the polls behind frontrunner Sarah Palin, it looks like Murkowski may get kicked out of office in the primary this coming Tuesday. If so, his big $25 billion gas pipeline deal -- which is hastening his political undoing -- is very likely to go down the tubes with him.

About one week out from Alaska's August 22 Republican primary, an independent poll conducted by a one-time adviser to Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) has terrible news for the incumbent.

Garnering only 17% of the vote from eligible GOP voters, he's a distant third againt Sarah Palin (40%) and John Binkley (29%).  The results are highly similar to a Rasmussen poll released August 8.

Yesterday we brought you word that Gov. Frank Murkowski's (R) chief of staff had blackballed veteran reporter Bob Tkacz, who's been covering Alaska politics since 1990, because he hadn't shown the Governor the proper "respect."

Well it looks as if Tkacz and the aide sat down and hashed things out, and today, all is forgiven.

Gov. Frank Murkowski's (R) campaign is publicly cutting off communcation with tenacious veteran reporter Bob Tkacz, who has covered Alaska politics since 1990. Why? The reporter didn't show Murkowski the proper respect, a top campaign aide claims.

Which reminds us of the penultimate line in Murkowski's campaign song (stream; transcript): "He might not win awards for his charisma." Now that's truth in advertising for you.

Like father, like daughter? Not in this case.

Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) appointed his daughter, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), to his senate seat in 2002. But not even she will give unqualified support for the natural gas pipeline deal he negotiated with the state's three largest oil companies.

Governor Frank Murkowski (R) is becoming more aggressive in his push to pass a state oil tax revision and secure legislative approval for construction of a natural gas pipeline his administration finished negotiating with the state's major oil companies earlier this year. The pipeline has become the preeminent issue in his re-election campaign.

Murkowski indicated yesterday for the first time his wish that the legislature approve the gas pipeline contract before August 10, the date which the legislature's current special session is scheduled to end.

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GOP gubernatorial candidate Sarah Palin has challenged incumbent Frank Murkowski (R) to pledge that he won’t move forward on a proposed natural gas line contract without legislative approval, even if state courts found it would be consistent with the state’s constitution for him to do so.

The challenge comes in response to the conclusion of legislature attorneys that Alaska’s governor may have the inherent authority to negotiate state contracts like the one settled between the Murkowski administration and the state’s three largest energy interests earlier this year.

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Attorneys working on behalf of the Alaskan legislature have determined that courts could find unconstitutional a provision in the state’s Stranded Gas Development Act that requires legislative approval for a contract negotiated by the governor. Governor Frank Murkowski finished negotiating a potential contract for building a natural gas pipeline earlier this year.

The governor’s office has not yet officially responded to the legal opinions, but its spokesman’s initial reaction has been to emphasize that Murkowski “has said pretty consistently that he has no intention of ignoring or bypassing the will of the Legislature.”

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American Radio Works’ Marketplace reported on Monday that since 1996 ten current and former federal lawmakers have participated in an annual charity event attended by powerful oil lobbyists and hosted by the charity founded by Alaska First Lady Nancy Murkowski. The report found that at least three senators neglected to report the trip to the Waterfall fishing resort, which is located deep in the Alaskan wilderness and provides some of the best fishing in the world.

The senators who failed to report the trip are Kit Bond (R-MO) and Mike Enzi (R-WY), as well as former Senator Phill Gramm (R-TX). Because of the investigation the two sitting senators have pledged to reimburse the charity. Former Senator and current Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski (R) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert have also regularly gone on the trip.

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Governor Frank Murkowski of Alaska, the second most unpopular governor in the union, is playing the humility card.

Murkowski’s campaign ran a full-page ad in yesterday’s Anchorage Daily News and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that starts, “I agree. I admit it. I'm a long, long way from perfect.”  Further down, Murkowski states, “Maybe I need a personality transplant.”  An advisor to the governor’s campaign said the ad was meant to demonstrate that Murkowski is listening to voters.

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In the race for Alaska governor, the construction of a natural gas pipeline from the state’s North Slope into the contiguous 48 states is shaping up to be the major campaign issue. Negotiations on the pipeline between the state’s three largest oil companies and the office of Governor Frank Murkowski concluded in May after three years. Shortly after the negotiations’ completion public hearings began around the state where experts and ordinary citizens could sound off on the proposed contract. Although Murkowski says the pipeline is crucial to Alaska's economic future, critics have been complaining about the closed-door nature of the talks.

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A poll conducted by Anchorage-based Ivan Moore Research for the Alaska Correctional Officers Association has ex-Wasila Mayor Sarah Palin at 44% among Republican voters, leading businessman John Binkley and incumbent Frank Murkowski, who garnered 27% and 18%, respectively.

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