Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski conceded defeat in his reelection bid Tuesday. The longtime politician lost the Republican primary to a small-town mayor who now faces Democratic ex-governor Tony Knowles in November.

While Cascadia includes part of southeast Alaska, the outcome of the election is important because of the impact Alaska’s governor can have on the economy of the overall region. Murkowski was a proponent of more oil drilling and construction of a new natural gas pipeline across Canada. The governor also appoints officials who regulate the fishing industry based in Seattle and the cruise industry, whose ships sail from Vancouver and Seattle.

A thorough report on why this governor’s race is important to the region and nationwide is here on the Washington Post’s web site.