Alaska Republican governor loses primary

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski lost the Republican primary to a former town mayor, who will face former two-term Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles in November.

Murkowski, who has been struggling with low approval ratings for months, lost to Sarah Palin, former mayor of the town of Wasilla, northeast of Anchorage, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

After winning 70 percent support of his party's vote in the 2002 primary, Murkowski began losing support after cutting a state longevity cash payment to seniors, appointing his daughter to his old U.S. Senate job and pursuing the lease of a state jet, the newspaper said.

In the Democrats' primary, Knowles easily defeated lesser-known challenger Eric Croft, an Anchorage state representative, the newspaper said. Knowles served as mayor of Anchorage and then governor from 1994 to 2002.