Reversing a long trend of governors seeking national office, Republican U.S. Sen. Frank Murkowski is chasing his party's gubernatorial nomination. Murkowski, a 21-year veteran of the Senate, is the GOP's top contender for governor and will face Democrat Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer in November. Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, known for bringing federal dollars back to Alaska, faces light opposition from several hopefuls. The same is true for Republican Don Young, Alaska's only U.S. House member. Alaska has been led by a Democratic governor and Republican Legislature for eight years, and Murkowski argues the state's present fiscal woes could be solved by more oil and timber extraction.