Since it joined the Union in 1959, Alaska has voted for the Republican presidential nominee all but once. However, Alaskans have an independent streak that’s enabled some Democratic and independent candidates to win statewide races.
The latest candidate to defy partisan gravity was Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, a former state legislator and the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. She won a crowded special election to replace the late GOP Rep. Don Young in 2022, and went on to win the regular election for the statewide congressional seat by an impressive 10-point margin.
But last November, she narrowly lost to Republican businessman Nick Begich III, the grandson of Young’s Democratic predecessor. While Peltola had developed a brand as a moderate on energy and economic policies, and attempted to distance herself as much as possible from the national politics of the Lower 48, Trump’s decisive 13-point win was too much for her to overcome. And unlike in 2022, when the two leading GOP candidates — Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin — focused their attacks on each other, Republicans united
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