Washington, D.C. – The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) today claimed a victory in the war on pork with the defeat of incumbent Gov. Frank Murkowski (R) in the Alaska Republican primary.

“The taxpayers of Alaska have sent a message that pork-barrel spending does not pay at the ballot box,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz.  “This shows that fiscal responsibility is of prime importance to voters and incumbents everywhere should take notice.”

Gov. Murkowski was named Porker of the Month in January 2006 by Citizens Against Government Waste for backing construction of the infamous “Bridges to Nowhere,” which he had a vested interest in because his wife owns acreage on one of the islands and the development would have driven up property values.  After that debacle, he proposed a taxpayer-funded public relations campaign to repair the damage that the bridges helped inflict on Alaska’s national reputation.  He also came under fire for appointing his daughter to replace him in the U.S. Senate, purchasing a private jet on the taxpayers’ dime over the objections of both the state legislature and the federal government, and going behind the backs of state legislators in formulating a proposal with three oil companies for a natural gas pipeline to Canada.

In CAGW’s Congressional Pig Book, Alaska has ranked number one in pork per capita since 1999, pulling in $489.87 worth of pork per resident in 2006.  Since 1999, the state’s delegation has brought home more than $3 billion in federal pork, thanks mostly to former Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska). 

“The voters of Alaska deserve a round of applause from all taxpayers for recognizing that Gov. Murkowski is a politician who is not dedicated to fiscal discipline,” Schatz concluded. 

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.