Tuckerman Babcock


Tuckerman Babcock is a political strategist and ex-chairman of the Alaska Republican Party.

Early life and education

Babcock has been living in Alaska since 1966. Between 1974 and 1978 he attended Steller Alternative High School in Anchorage. Between 1979 and 1983 he went to Wesleyan University where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. In 1986, he studied for a master's degree at the College of William and Mary but never completed his thesis so never earned the degree.]

Career

As executive director of the Governor's Reapportionment Board Babcock oversaw the redistricting of the Alaska legislature during the 1991-1992 cycle. He then worked as special assistant of constituent relations and director of Boards and Commissions for Governor Wally Hickel. Babcock was a Commissioner at the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission between 1993 and 1996.
Together with Co-Chairman Frank Murkowski, Babcock managed the Dole presidential campaign in 1996. He was also part of the State Leadership Team for the presidential campaign of Steve Forbes in 1996 and 2000. In 1997, he worked in the staff of his later mother-in-law, State Senator Lyda Green advised Sarah Palin in all of her campaigns between 1996 and 2008, but the relationship between them stalled after Palin became a national public figure.
Between 1999 -2009, Babcock worked at the Matanuska Electric Association as Manager of Government and Strategic Affairs and later also as Director of Human Resources as well as Assistant Manager. After leaving MEI, he became a full-time parent, taking care of the couple's eight children.
Babcock has served as precinct officer and district chairman of Alaska's GOP. He also was state vice chairman and also briefly served as the party's chairman in the year 2000. In 2016, he again ran for this office. During the Alaska Republican Party convention in Fairbanks April 28–30, 2016, Babcock ran against Fairbanks trial attorney Ann Brown to succeed Peter Goldberg. Babcock won the election and also became a delegate for the National Republican Convention in Cleveland in the summer of 2016.
Babcock described the Alaskan Republican Party as "definitely the party of fierce-minded individuals". In an affair concerning three Representatives who ran on the Republican ticket but afterwards sided with the state's democrats, thereby affording the Democrats a majority in the State House, he sent an open letter to the three lawmakers. He also supported an attempt of the AKGOP to block the three Representatives from again running in the primaries of the Republican party.

Political positions

Regarding the decision of Senator Murkowski and Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska to take a critical stance towards the abolition of the Affordable Care Act in 2017, Babcock stated that he was dismayed. He reminded Murkowski and Sullivan in a letter that the American people were promised on non-negotiable terms that Obamacare would be repealed.

Personal life

Babcock is married to Kristie Babcock, who is a state farm agent. The couple has eight children. The family lives on the Kenai Peninsula.