As Governor, Tony Knowles Let Jobs Go Oversees
Knowles Criticizes Murkowski While Receiving Same Contributions
Anchorage, AK - Following a convincing primary victory by Senator Lisa Murkowski, Tony Knowles' attack operation launched another misleading salvo today. In their latest television message, Knowles accuses Senator Murkowski of voting against American jobs in hopes Alaskans will forget his failed job record.
In a shallow attempt to distort Senator Murkowski's record, the Knowles ad states that the Senator has taken contributions from companies that outsource American jobs. Interestingly, the ad fails to mention, that as Governor, Tony Knowles sat idly by as American jobs went oversees.
Knowles was notified in December, 2001, that contracted State of Alaska services would be shipped to India. The Knowles administration took no action and those jobs, electronic benefit services for the state's food stamp program, remain in India today. Knowles' campaign has said that they support keeping jobs in the U.S. Apparently, as Governor, Knowles did not share the same opinion.
In Knowles' ad, he criticizes Senator Murkowski for receiving contributions from notable multi-national companies that do significant business in Alaska such as AT&T, Exxon Mobil and Home Depot. At the same time, Knowles and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (who is running ads in Alaska and whose contribution to the Alaska Democratic Party now approaches $1 million) have received contributions from the same companies in excess of $1.5 million.
This ad is part of continued efforts from Knowles hoping that Alaskans forget that the best of Alaska's industry suffered while he was Governor. During Knowles' eight years as Governor, the state lost over 5,000 core resource sector jobs while low paying seasonal employment and government sector positions flourished.
"I'm going to be working with the President and with the Republican Majority to provide Americans and Alaskans with good high paying jobs. And I will continue to proudly work with companies like Home Depot, that provide significantly to the Anchorage economy. I am proud to be supported by these corporations and by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"It is amazingly shortsighted that Knowles will criticize me, when he and his allies have received contributions from the same companies and when he personally let American jobs be outsourced as Governor," Senator Murkowski said.
Meanwhile, Knowles again criticizes Senator Murkowski for voting against a bill that would have raised taxes and done nothing to prevent outsourcing. Despite Democratic claims, the amendment the Senator voted against, another politically motivated Democratic budget amendment would have had no impact on the outsourcing of jobs.