On the Republican side, three major candidates jockeyed for the nomination: businessman John Howard Lindauer, state senator Robin L. Taylor, and Wayne A. Ross.

Due to the lateness of this change, the Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to obtain a court order to delay the election.

Knowles defeated Taylor, his closest opponent, by 33%, the widest margin of victory for a gubernatorial candidate in Alaska history.

Moreover, if Taylor's and Lindauer's totals are added together, Knowles defeated the two Republicans combined by 16% – still the widest margin in Alaska history until 2010.

This was also the first time since 1970 that any candidate won an outright majority of the vote in an Alaska gubernatorial election.