Alaska's gubernatorial race has grown more competitive. Republican Sarah Palin now leads Democrat Tony Knowles 42% to 40% (see crosstabs). Twelve percent (12%) prefer "other," which in this poll would most likely be Independent candidate Andrew Halcro.

With leaners added to the mix, it's Palin 45%, Knowles 44%.

Former Governor Knowles, trying to get his job back in a Republican-leaning state, caught an unlucky break when the unpopular incumbent lost the GOP gubernatorial primary to Sarah Palin this August. Polls showed Knowles both way ahead of the incumbent and way behind Palin. After winning the nomination, Palin zoomed out of the starting gate with a fourteen-point lead, about the same lead she had just before the primary.

But by October Knowles was lagging by just seven points. And now the race is a toss-up.

A couple days after Rasmussen Reports conducted the current survey, the two major-party candidates and Halcro met in one of the final debates of the campaign. As it has been throughout the campaign, a major theme was the natural gas pipeline in the works, and the oil and gas industry generally.

Knowles has shored up his base since August. He then had 89% of Democrats with him when he was matched up against the incumbent, Governor Murkowski. But Knowles attracted only 72% of Democrats in a match-up with Palin. In the current poll he draws 82% of fellow Democrats.

Palin attracts about the same number of Republicans now as she did then (70%). But she has lost her narrow advantage with unaffiliated voters, among whom her opponent now leads 46% to 28%.

Palin is viewed favorably by 65%, Knowles by 55%. Those numbers are about the same as they were in August. But Palin was then an unknown to 10%, now only to 3%; her unfavorable numbers have increased a bit.

Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.