Voting Station

Tony Knowles

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U.S. Governor

The Resume

    (January 1, 1943- )
    Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma
    Birth name is Anthony Carroll Knowles
    7th Governor of Alaska (1994-2002)
    Served two terms as Mayor of Anchorage (1981-1987)
    Ran against incumbent Lisa Murkowski for her U.S. Senate seat, losing narrowly (2004)
    Ran for a third term as Governor, losing by 7 points to Republican opponent Sarah Palin (2006)
    Democrat

Why he might be annoying:

    He shares a name with a world famous Snooker jockey.
    He was fraternity brothers with George W. Bush.
    He lost his first gubernatorial bid, in 1990, to Wally Hickel.
    His 1994 campaign benefited from a third-party challenger weakening his opposition, clearing his way for a win.
    It also helped that his Republican opponent in the race, John Lindauer's, campaign virtually collapsed over malfeasance allegations and questions of over his state residency.
    The tenure of his second term was marred by a 'Where's Tony?' campaign which took aim at his consistent flip-flopping on issues.
    He was poised to become the state of Alaska's first 3-term governor, benefiting from discord in the opposing party, as well as yet another third-party challenger. Then Sarah Palin caught fire, and the rest is history.
    Two years later, when Palin emerged as John McCain's VP pick, he became a semi-regular presence on cable news shows, where hosts milked him for soundbites attacking her (e.g. saying 'I fear for my country' at the prospect of her reaching the White House).

Why he might not be annoying:

    He is an avid fly fisherman and cross-country skier.
    He enlisted in the Army, in the early 1960's.
    He earned a degree in economics from Yale University in 1968.
    He served with the 82nd Airborne Division, including during the Vietnam War.
    He moved to Alaska, following his graduation, where he worked the North Slope oil drilling rigs.
    He passed legislation to guarantee housing for veterans in the state's 'Pioneer's Homes.'
    It was reasonable to expect that he would easily beat Lisa Murkowski, considering that she only attained the office because her Senator/governor-elect father appointed her his replacement.
    He was used as an attack dog against the Republican ticket by the Dems, but was cast aside when his usefulness ended (he was passed over for both Energy Secretary and Interior Secretary in the Obama Administration).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 16.67% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 23 Votes: 52.17% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 13 Votes: 30.77% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 63 Votes: 53.97% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 34 Votes: 55.88% Annoying