| Ethan Berkowitz | |
|---|---|
| Democratic Candidate for Governor of Alaska |
|
| Running mate | Diane E. Benson |
| Opponent(s) | Sean Parnell (R) |
| Incumbent | Sean Parnell |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 26th District | |
| In office January 21, 2003 – January 15, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | (redistricting took effect) |
| Succeeded by | Lindsey Holmes |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives from the 13th District | |
| In office January 13, 1997 – January 20, 2003 |
|
| Preceded by | Cynthia Toohey |
| Succeeded by | (redistricting takes effect) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 4, 1962 San Francisco, California |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Mara Kimmel |
| Residence | Anchorage, Alaska |
| Alma mater | Harvard College, Cambridge University, Hastings College of Law |
| Profession | Attorney, Business owner |
| Religion | Jewish |
Ethan A. Berkowitz (born February 4, 1962) is an American politician who was the Alaska State Representative for District 26 from 1997 through 2006, serving as Democratic Party Minority Leader from 1999 to 2006.
Contents |
Berkowitz received his degrees from Harvard College, Cambridge University, and Hastings College of Law. He is an attorney and business owner.
Berkowitz was the Democratic Party Minority Leader in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2006. He was first elected to represent District 26 (Anchorage) in 1996, and then re-elected in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2004.
In the 2006 election, Berkowitz was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, running with gubernatorial candidate Tony Knowles. Knowles and Berkowitz were defeated in the general election by Sarah Palin and Sean Parnell.
In 2008, Berkowitz ran for election as U.S. Representative for Alaska's At-large congressional district, held by scandal-plagued Republican Don Young, who was seeking his nineteenth term in Congress. Berkowitz defeated Diane Benson in the August 26 Democratic primary by a substantial margin.[1]
The initial results from the general election on November 4, 2008, showed Young leading the race, but with many absentee and provisional ballots left to be counted, the race was not called. On November 12, 2008, the media declared that Young, 75, had retained his seat in the United States House of Representatives, for his 19th term. Young received roughly 50% of the vote compared to Berkowitz's 45% and 5% for Don Wright, the candidate of the Alaskan Independence Party.[2][3] Berkowitz himself conceded defeat on November 18, 2008, after counting of absentee and provisional ballots had mostly been completed and Young had a clearly insurmountable lead. Berkowitz received more votes in 2008 than any Democrat who had ever run against Young for Congress, and the 2008 race was the closest any Democrat had come to unseating Young since 1990, when John Devens of Valdez received 48% of the vote.[4]
Berkowitz indicated he was interested in challenging incumbent Governor Sarah Palin before her surprise resignation in 2009.[5] Berkowitz entered the race despite Palin's resignation and on August 24, 2010 he defeated State Senator, Hollis S. French to win the Democratic nomination. He and running mate for Lieutenant Governor Diane E. Benson faced incumbent Republican Governor Sean Parnell in the November general election and were defeated by a wide margin.[6]
Ethan Berkowitz took the position of Senior Vice President of the Anchorage, Alaska branch of Strategies 360 in February, 2011.[7]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Gene Kubina |
Minority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives 1999–2006 |
Succeeded by Beth Kerttula |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Gene Kubina |
Democratic Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives 1999–2006 |
Succeeded by Beth Kerttula |
| Preceded by Willie Hensley (1) /Ernie Hall |
Democratic nominee for Alaska Lieutenant Governor 2006 |
Succeeded by Diane E. Benson |
| Preceded by Diane E. Benson |
Democratic nominee for Alaska's At-large congressional district 2008 |
Succeeded by Harry Crawford |
| Preceded by Tony Knowles |
Democratic nominee for Governor of Alaska 2010 |
Most recent |
(1) - Elected nominee, withdrew