Ralph Samuels Businessman and a member of the Republican Party

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 and candidate for Governor of Alaska, that served as a State Representative of the Alaska State Legislature from 2002-2008 representing House District 29 and serving as the Majority Leader.

Educational background

Attended schools in Anchorage, King Salmon, and Fairbanks and graduated from Metlaktla High School

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 in 1979. He attended the University of Alaska, in Fairbanks

Fairbanks

Fairbanks may refer to:Places in the United States*Fairbanks, Alaska, city*Fairbanks, California, unincorporated community in El Dorado County*Fairbanks, Mendocino County, California, former settlement*Fairbanks, Indiana, unincorporated community...

 from 1980 to 1985.

Positions as a Gubernatorial candidate

• Economy- One of the main planks for Samuels' candidacies, he claims, is to encourage economic development. In a recent article he was quoted saying, "As governor I'll work to encourage economic development. We'll look at the current tax structures to determine whether or not there's an opportunity to stem the recent rapid decline in oil production and oil exploration in Alaska,"

• Energy- In March 2007, when the Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin
  Sarah Palin
  Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
  
   presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) to build a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope (with $500 million seed money from the state), Samuels was the only legislator who voted against the measure.

• Taxes- He also was in a coalition that opposed the, then Governor Palin introduced, tax raise known as "ACES" (Alaskans Clear and Equitable Share)which made Alaska as the highest marginal tax rate in the world."

• Family- In January, Samuels wrote a position statement in support of the initiative circulating the state attempting to re-instate parental/legal guardian notification of a minor to receive an abortion
  Abortion
  Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
  
  . In his article he claimed "...in our society that a parent must consent before a child gets her ears pierced or even receives an aspirin at school. The notion that a non-emergency medical procedure can be performed on a teenager, without a parent even knowing about it, strikes most people as absurd. Yet this is exactly what happens in Alaska."

See also Alaska Gas Pipeline.

Leadership positions in politics

• Served as Majority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives
  Alaska House of Representatives
  The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...
  
   (2006–2008)

Business and professional positions

• Airline Executive for Penair
  PenAir
  Peninsula Airways, doing business as PenAir, is an American airline headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. It is Alaska's second largest commuter airline operating an extensive scheduled passenger and cargo service, as well as charter and medevac services...
  
   (1980 to 2008)
• Vice president for government and community affairs for tourism giant, Holland America Line (2008–present)
• Member of the Alaska Air Carriers Association
• Former Chair of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
  Chamber of commerce
  A chamber of commerce is a form of business network, e.g., a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community...
  
  
• Former Board Member of the State Chamber of Commerce

Sources

http://www.akrepublicans.org/samuels/index.php
http://www.housemajority.org/samuels/index.php
http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/house/sal.php
http://www.adn.com/news/politics/story/1046926.html