GOP fighting the tide

After months of dithering, Sen. Frank Murkowski finally made it official last October: He is seeking the GOP nomination to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles. Murkowski is the 800-pound gorilla in this race, and his entry quickly cleared the GOP field. His campaign should be a walk in the park, but Democrats are excited about their own prospects, given that their nominee will be Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer, the star of the party's very short bench of statewide candidates here.