In that election, he finished far behind Sarah Palin (who would go on to win the governorship), but also far ahead of one-term incumbent governor Frank Murkowski, by then deeply unpopular amongst Alaskans.

A graduate of Lathrop High School, Binkley attended Western Michigan University before returning to Bethel, Alaska to start a river freight business.

He sold the business and, in 1991, was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Riverboat Discovery, a successful tour company.

In 1985, Binkley was elected to district 25 of the Alaska Legislature, where he served on the finance and fisheries committees.

In 2005, Binkley received an associate degree in airframe and powerplant maintenance technology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.