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Sean Parnell
	Sean Parnell
	;
12th Governor of Alaska
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; July 26, 2009
Lieutenant	Craig Campbell
Preceded by	Sarah Palin
11th Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
	In office; December 4, 2006 – July 26, 2009
Governor	Sarah Palin
Preceded by	Loren Leman
Succeeded by	Craig Campbell
Born	November 19, 1962 (age 47); Hanford, California
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sandra Parnell
Residence	Anchorage, Alaska
Profession	Lawyer
Website	Office of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell

Sean R. Parnell (born November 19, 1962) is an American Republican politician who is the 12th and current Governor of Alaska. Parnell succeeded Sarah Palin on July 26, 2009 following her resignation.^[1] He was sworn in at the Governor's Picnic in Fairbanks^[2] and plans to run for a full term as Governor in 2010 after serving out the remainder of Palin's term.^[3]

[edit] Early life

Parnell was born in Hanford, California. He attended Pacific Lutheran University (B.B.A. 1984) and University of Puget Sound School of Law (now Seattle University School of Law) with a law degree in 1987. He is admitted to the bar in both Alaska and Washington D.C. Parnell is the son of Kevin "Pat" Parnell, who owned a printing company in Anchorage, was the Democratic nominee for Alaska's at-large congressional seat against incumbent Don Young in 1980, and served as a Democratic member of Alaska's state house from 1991 to 1993.

[edit] Career as lobbyist and politician

Parnell's career path has alternated between political and corporate jobs. He went from the Alaska house and senate to the oil company, ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc., to one of the largest oil lobbying firms in the U.S. and then back to a state job as deputy director of Alaska’s Division of Oil & Gas, the position he held while running for lieutenant governor.

In 1992 Parnell was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives where he served two terms and was a member of the finance committee. In 1996, Parnell ran for and was elected to a seat in the Alaska State Senate. In the Alaska Senate he was a member of the Energy Council and served on and then co-chaired the Senate finance committee.^[4]

Parnell left the Alaska Senate to become director of governmental relations in Alaska for the oil company Conoco Phillips.^[5]

In 2005, Parnell joined the lobbying firm of Patton Boggs where he advised clients on state and federal regulations in developing major oil and gas projects. Patton Boggs represented Exxon Mobil in the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation.^[6] In April 2005, Washingtonian magazine and the Dallas Morning News ranked Patton Boggs' as No. 1 in revenue among lobbyists.^[7]

In 2006, Parnell ran in the Republican primary to become lieutenant governor. In the general election, he ran as Palin's running mate. In Alaska, the lieutenant governor runs separately from the governor in the primaries, but after the primaries, the nominee for governor and nominee for lieutenant governor run together as a slate. Palin and Parnell were elected.

[edit] Run for U.S. House of Representatives

On March 14, 2008, Parnell began his campaign to take on embattled 18-term Congress member Don Young in the August 26 Republican Primary.^[8]

Parnell was endorsed by Palin's anti-earmark group,^[9] National Review magazine,^[10] and the Club for Growth^[11].

On July 31, 2008, Parnell told Roll Call newspaper that he would not drop his race against Young to run against Senator Ted Stevens who had been indicted.^[12]

Parnell lost the primary for the U.S. House seat. The margin between Young, the incumbent, and Parnell was narrow and the winner was not immediately clear. Final results released on September 18 showed Young winning by 304 votes; Parnell said the odds of overturning Young's victory were too small to warrant a recount.^[13]

[edit] Governor of Alaska

Within days of Palin's resignation becoming effective, the "Hall of Governors" in the Alaska State Capitol showed Parnell succeeding her.

On July 3, 2009, Sarah Palin announced that she would be stepping down as governor on July 26, 2009, and would be replaced by Parnell (as Alaska's 12th Governor) in accordance with the Alaska Constitution.^[1] Palin also announced that Lt. Gen. Craig Campbell, commissioner of Alaska's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, would succeed Parnell as lieutenant governor. Parnell and Campbell were sworn in to their new positions on July 26 by Alaska Supreme Court Justice Daniel E. Winfree.

Parnell has stated that he intends to run for a full term as governor in 2010.^[3]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Palin stepping down this month. CNN, 2009-07-03.
^ Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com Accessed July 3, 2009.
^ ^a ^b "Gov Palin to resign her office". KTUU-TV. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10641495. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
^ Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell's Biography
^ [1]
^ [2]
^ April 2006 Patton Boggs press release
^ Alaska Lieutenant Governor Announces Primary Run Against Young, By Josh Kraushaar - CBS News
^ Washington Anti-Earmark Group Endorses Parnell. by R.A. Dillon. Fairbanks Daily News Miner. June 6, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008. "He also has the backing of fiscally conservative Gov. Sarah Palin."
^ Don Young’s Wrong Way, National Review. April 1, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.
^ Club for Growth endorses challenger to Young, By Josh Kraushaar, politico.com. June 6, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.
^ "Parnell Won’t Switch to Alaska Senate Race" By Shira Toeplitz, Roll Call. July 31, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.
^ Anne Sutton, "No recount in GOP race for Alaska's House seat", Associated Press, September 18, 2008.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sean Parnell

Political offices
Preceded by Sarah Palin	Governor of Alaska 2009 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by Loren Leman	Lieutenant Governor of Alaska 2006 – 2009	Succeeded by Craig Campbell
United States order of precedence
Preceded by Joe Biden Vice President of the United States Jill Biden Second Lady of the United States (if present)	United States order of precedence In Alaska	Succeeded by Mayors of Alaska cities if present next fixed Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
Preceded by Jan Brewer Governor of Arizona	United States order of precedence Outside Alaska	Succeeded by Linda Lingle Governor of Hawai'i

[CNN7309-0] Palin stepping down this month. CNN, 2009-07-03.

[1] Palin to Resign as Governor of Alaska - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com Accessed July 3, 2009.

[Gov_Palin_to_resign_her_office-2] "Gov Palin to resign her office". KTUU-TV. http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=10641495. Retrieved 2009-07-03.

[3] Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell's Biography

[4] [1]

[5] [2]

[6] April 2006 Patton Boggs press release

[7] Alaska Lieutenant Governor Announces Primary Run Against Young, By Josh Kraushaar - CBS News

[8] Washington Anti-Earmark Group Endorses Parnell. by R.A. Dillon. Fairbanks Daily News Miner. June 6, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008. "He also has the backing of fiscally conservative Gov. Sarah Palin."

[9] Don Young’s Wrong Way, National Review. April 1, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.

[10] Club for Growth endorses challenger to Young, By Josh Kraushaar, politico.com. June 6, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.

[11] "Parnell Won’t Switch to Alaska Senate Race" By Shira Toeplitz, Roll Call. July 31, 2008. Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.

[12] Anne Sutton, "No recount in GOP race for Alaska's House seat", Associated Press, September 18, 2008.

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