This page is part of an undergraduate assignment at Davidson College.
Candidacy Assessement:
Alaskan Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman
Loren Leman, the current Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, would have been a quality challenger in the 2004 senatorial election in Alaska, but the two principal Senate candidates in that race have distinct advantages that would have made the election difficult for him. Nevertheless Leman has multiple characteristics that make a viable congressional candidate.
In the 2002 Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor, Leman gained experience and name recognition in an unusually competitive race (Kenai Peninsula 2002). His victory and his ability to out-fundraise several formidable opponents illustrate his electability in a high-profile race (Pemberton 2002). Even though that primary gave Leman significant experience, it clearly was not as intense as a well-publicized Senate campaign.
Leman’s personal and political backgrounds also further his validity as a Senate candidate. His family's strong Alaskan roots help him politically since Alaskan politicians often contest opponents’ Alaskan heritage (CNN.com 2004). Furthermore Loren Leman’s fourteen years in the Alaskan legislature illustrates his extensive legislative experience, which should be an asset in a congressional race (Leman 2004). Also as a result of being lieutenant governor, Leman has gained experience being in an office accountable to the entire state.
Considering that twice as many Republicans as Democrats reside in Alaska, Leman’s Republican affiliation would further help his candidacy (CNN.com 2004). Another factor helping Leman is that Republicans have held both U.S. Senate seats in Alaska since 1981 (Chambers 2003). Even though Leman’s partisanship would have benefited him in the general election, he would have faced an incumbent in the Republican senatorial primary.
Although Leman has more legislative experience and more experience in high-profile elections than the Republican Senate candidate Lisa Murkowski, she would still be a more viable candidate. She is the incumbent senator and has considerable name recognition partially due to her father’s decorated political career (Rosen 2004). Thus these factors give her significant fundraising advantages and make Leman an inferior candidate to Murkowski.
Despite Leman’s evident strengths, the Democratic Senate candidate Tony Knowles also enjoys several key advantages over him. First Leman’s partisanship and legislative experience should benefit him against Knowles; however Knowles’s advantages trump Leman’s. Tony Knowles has more name recognition as a result of his eight years as Governor of Alaska. He also has more experience in high-profile elections and more experience serving Alaska in an office accountable to the entire state. These three advantages would also help Knowles’s fundraising efforts.
Loren Leman wisely chose to bypass a run for the U.S. Senate seat from Alaska. However, his decision to not run for congressional office should not detract from his strengths and validity as a potential congressional candidate.
© Davidson College, 2004, Davidson, NC 28035
Created by Keith Farrow (kefarrow@davidson.edu) for POL 318
Created: 9/16/2004. Last updated: 9/20/2004.
