Sean Parnell

Infobox_Lt_Governor
name= Sean Parnell


imagesize = 100| caption = Gov. Sarah Palin and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell
order= 11^th
office= Lieutenant Governor of Alaska
term_start=December 4 2006
governor= Sarah Palin
predecessor= Loren Leman
successor= Incumbent
birth_date= birth date and age|1962|11|19
birth_place= Hanford, California
death_date=
death_place=
party= Republican
profession= Lawyer
spouse= Sandra Parnell
footnotes=

Sean R. Parnell (born November 19 1962, Hanford, California) is the current Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, taking office in 2006 alongside Governor Sarah Palin.

Parnell, an attorney by training, attended Pacific Lutheran University (B.B.A. 1984) and University of Puget Sound School of Law (J.D. 1987). He is admitted to the bar in both Alaska and Washington D.C.

In 1992 Parnell was elected to the Alaskan House of Representatives. He served as a member of the House Finance Committee and chaired numerous budget subcommittees. He served in the House for two terms.

Parnell ran for a seat in the state Senate in 1996. There he served on and later co-chaired the Finance Committee as well as being a member of the Energy Council. [ [http://ltgov.state.ak.us/bio.php Alaska Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell's Biography ] ]

On March 14, 2008, Parnell announced that he would take on embattled 18-term Congressman Don Young in the August 26 Republican Primary. [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/14/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3940971.shtml Alaska Lieutenant Governor Announces Primary Run Against Young, By Josh Kraushaar - CBS News ] ] The margin between the two was very narrow and the winner was not immediately clear. Eventually, final results on September 18 showed Young winning by 304 votes, and Parnell announced that he would not seek a recount. According to Parnell, the odds of overturning Young's victory were too small to warrant the "expenditure of taxpayer funds" involved in a recount. [Anne Sutton, [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5j_Jou0BRNSWPmplUuT8qwccyVvggD939B4HO1 "No recount in GOP race for Alaska's House seat"] , Associated Press, September 18, 2008.]

Parnell has been endorsed by Governor Palin, [ [http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jun/06/washington-anti-earmark-group-endorses-parnell-ove 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."] National Review magazine. [ [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=YmM4ZjIwYzMwYzlkZjFmZTQyYzRiZDU2MDUxNzg1OGI Don Young’s Wrong Way, National Review. April 1, 2008.] Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.] and the Club for Growth [ [http://www.politico.com/blogs/thecrypt/0608/Club_for_Growth_endorses_challenger_to_Don_Young.html Club for Growth endorses challenger to Young, By Josh Kraushaar, politico.com. June 6, 2008.] Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.] .

On July 31, 2008, Parnell told Roll Call newspaper that he would not drop his race against Young to run against embattled Senator Ted Stevens, who has been indicted. [ [http://www.rollcall.com/news/27224-1.html "Parnell Won’t Switch to Alaska Senate Race" By Shira Toeplitz, Roll Call. July 31, 2008.] Accessed Aug. 4, 2008.]

If Sen. John McCain wins the 2008 Presidential Election and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin becomes Vice President of the United States, Parnell would succeed Gov. Palin according to the line of succession.

References

External links

* [http://www.parnellforcongress.org/home.html Congressional Campaign site]