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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2001

Arctic drilling supporter Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Monday announced he is running for governor of Alaska in 2002.

The move has caused Republican and Democrat opponents for the seat to question why he should leave the Senate, after serving the state for 21 years. But Murkowski's spokesperson said the election is more than a year away, so it's not as if he is leaving Congress immediately.

The state's current governor is Tony Knowles, a Democrat. He cannot run again due to term limits but his Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer is running.

Murkowski is the ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. He is also a member of the Indian Affairs Committee and earlier this year told Alaska Natives not to attend the recent United Nations conference on racism because it would be hijacked by opponents of America.

Get the Story:
Murkowski says he will run for governor next year (The Anchorage Daily News 10/23)
Murkowski's press release annoucing his candidacy for governor (Murkowski 10/22)

Relevant Links:
Sen. Frank Murkowski - http://murkowski.senate.gov

Related Stories:
Murkowski delay causing delays (8/10)
Murkowski delays run for Governor (8/8)