Ethan Berkowitz

After months of campaigning, Alaska's candidates for governor are getting ready to watch the numbers Tuesday night. Both Gov. Sean Parnell and Democratic challenger Ethan Berkowitz say they’re confident of victory. Parnell will spend the evening with family and friends at the Hilton Hotel downtown. Campaign officials says they’ll will likely head over to Election Central at the Egan Center once there are some solid results. Parnell, who has already voted absentee in Juneau, says he's looking forward to continuing four more years in office.

The candidates for Alaska’s lt. governor faced off Tuesday night in a debate on KAKM. Diane Benson is the Democrat running with Ethan Berkowitz, while Republican Mead Treadwell is the partner of Gov. Sean Parnell.       The candidates were asked questions from the moderator and could ask each other questions at the debate. Benson asked Treadwell what makes him more qualified to be the next point person on veteran’s issues. “At the Institute of the North, where we started the Defense of the Security program, we have always stood up for Alaska's Military, so I fully respect what you have done and I support the work that you have been doing,” said Treadwell.

Alaskan candidates are getting millions of dollars in support from political ads paid for by independent groups -- much of it from the Lower 48, and especially Washington, D.C. These groups are separate from the individual campaigns, and are prohibited by law from coordinating with the candidates. Nonetheless, they say they're doing and spending everything they can to help their favorites win this election. According to the Sunlight Foundation, which tracks election spending, more than $2.6 million in independent funds have poured into Alaska's U.S. Senate race -- and the money keeps coming.

by Angela Blanchard Thursday, October 9, 2008 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The latest poll numbers show Sen. Ted Stevens' legal troubles are not preventing him from running a close race for re-election. Ivan Moore Research surveyed 500 Alaska voters statewide last weekend. The results show Democratic candidate Mark Begich with a 4-point lead over Stevens, the incumbent. Pollster Ivan Moore says poll numbers have fluctuated greatly since Stevens' indictment, but more than half of voters are still giving Stevens a positive rating.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates Ethan Berkowitz and Hollis French faced each other in a debate Thursday hosted by Commonwealth North. The two share a lot of the same priorities, but their primary difference remains their plans on how the state should benefit from its oil wealth. Both candidates want more renewable energy projects in the state, and both are angry with Gov. Sean Parnell for making cuts to Denali KidCare. But for voters who are looking for an issue to differentiate Berkowitz and French, that issue is oil taxes.

Sean Parnell and Mead Treadwell were sworn in as governor and lieutenant governor Monday. The inauguration marks Parnell’s first full term since he took over as governor in the wake of Sarah Palin’s 2008 resignation. Both Parnell and Treadwell gave passionate speeches and talked about the direction they want the state to go. In his speech, Parnell discussed his top priorities, including education, protection against domestic violence, and building a natural gas pipeline.

The Alaska Public Offices Commission rejected a complaint Tuesday made by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ethan Berkowitz. Berkowitz says outside interests are meddling in Alaska's governor's race. He filed a complaint with APOC over what he calls attack ads by the Republican Governors Association, saying the ad violates state law. APOC rejected Berkowitz's argument Tuesday, saying it was without a basis of facts.  His campaign accuses the RGA of dumping a half a million dollars towards Parnell's campaign for smear ads.  During Tuesday's APOC hearing, attorneys argued that the Parnell campaign worked with the RGA on the ad and that the proof is in the pictures.

In a Friday announcement before the Alaska Resource Development Council, Gov. Sean Parnell said he wants to make some changes to the state's oil tax structure. Parnell wants to tinker with ACES, or Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share: the tax system championed by Parnell’s predecessor, former Gov. Sarah Palin, and strongly supported by Parnell after he inherited the job.   “Oil remains the backbone of our economy,” Parnell said. Parnell told the council that he's met with all the major oil producers to find a way to make the state's tax structure more competitive.

It's been more than two weeks since the primary election, and Division of Elections volunteers finished a count of absentee and questioned votes with the last 170 ballots Wednesday. There were about 5,000 questioned ballots and 9,105 absentee ballots from the Aug. 24 primary, which were counter-reviewed at the Anchorage office. Division of Elections officials say those numbers are similar to previous elections, not counting the 2008 presidential election. Volunteers with the Absentee Review Board spent about two hours Wednesday afternoon hand-tallying the ballots.

The candidates for Alaska governor are trying to convince young Alaskans that this upcoming election is worth their time. They gathered for a debate Monday afternoon at West High School. The youth voter turnout is notoriously low. Young people are often too busy or they just don't care, but that's something candidates are trying to change. Most of the audience at the debate was interested in college, not campaigns, but that does not mean they're ignorant of topics that affect them and their families.