Politics & Campaigns
RSSAlaska News tracks coverage of state and federal political campaigns, including gubernatorial and Senate races, candidate positions on issues like the PFD.
Bill Walker is backing away from his plan to end the PFD, weeks after proposing it
Weeks after proposing a one-time $10,000 payout to end the PFD, candidate Bill Walker is walking it back, now promising a plan that "strengthens" the dividend instead.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAIAlaska
Peltola raises record $7 million in Q2, powered by $50 average donation
Mary Peltola raised $7 million in the second quarter, a record for Alaska Senate candidates, with 95% of donations under $100 as she faces a rival backed by $20 million in outside spending.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readAIAlaska
Two Assembly members want Martinez out. The removal law may not reach him
Two members want Martinez gone over APOC fines. The removal law they're trying to use might not be a fit, and the math to carry it out would be an uphill battle.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago4 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska1
Alaska AFL-CIO endorsed Peltola for Senate and Hill for House Wednesday
Alaska AFL-CIO endorsed Peltola and Hill. The federation traditionally goes Democratic. The other side wasn't asked.
by Alaska Newsadded 3w ago2 min readAIAlaska2
Alaska AG voids contested Area M salmon regulations after ethics challenge
Alaska attorney general voided five salmon regulations after board members failed to disclose conflicts of interest. • Fishing groups won relief through ethics enforcement instead of court. • Regulations would have restricted fishing time and added chinook catch closures. • Board must restart the process to readopt any rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
McGuire campaign says Sara Rasmussen will replace Elizabeth Rexford as lieutenant governor running mate
Alaska's deadline could have thinned its 17-way governor race. It barely did: the GOP field stayed packed, and the headline move was just a McGuire running-mate swap.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Von Imhof Launches Anchorage Mayoral Bid With 'Fix and Grow' Platform
Former state senator Natasha Von Imhof launched a campaign for Anchorage mayor against incumbent Suzanne LaFrance. The election is scheduled for April 6, 2027.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Claman's exit narrows the Democratic field in Alaska's wide-open governor race
Alaska's 17-candidate governor scrum got a deadline to shrink. It shrank by one Democrat — while a dozen Republicans eyed each other and nobody blinked.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
DOJ reportedly investigating Alaska's two-Sullivans Senate race
National outlets report the FBI and state investigators are examining Alaska's two-Dan-Sullivans race — a probe into a candidacy the state's high court just ruled entirely legal.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAlaska
APOC fines George Martinez after campaign-paid flight to Florida
Oh goodness... I guess campaign finance laws were made for a reason.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Daniel J. Sullivan sued the state today over a denied Senate ballot spot
Denied a Senate ballot spot, Daniel J. Sullivan sued today. Lawmakers held a hearing on the same question the same afternoon.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Boyle files to challenge Holland in high-turnout South Anchorage House Seat.
South Anchorage comes out to vote. Holland and Boyle have until November to make their case.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Alaska House passes campaign contribution limits that could take effect during 2026 election
Alaska House passed a bill to restore campaign donation limits of 2,000 dollars per donor per candidate. • The bill takes effect 90 days after the governor acts, likely before November 2026 election. • Governor can sign, veto, or do nothing. Inaction lets the bill become law. • Opponents say it restricts speech and will likely face lawsuit.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Peltola proposes corporate tax tied to worker pay in Senate race
New Peltola plan: companies with rich CEOs and broke workers pay more. Odds of passing: low. Odds of becoming a debate line: certain.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Blake Gettys Builds LG Bid Around Personal Survival Story
Getty tries to tell Alaskans about his bio. Hughes has not been shown in the top four in any publicly available poll.
by Bill AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAIKenai Peninsula, Alaska
A Democratic group brings AI-analyzed canvassing to Alaska's Senate race
Democrats are using AI to analyze canvassers' notes and guide outreach in Alaska's Senate race — an approach privacy advocates warn can profile voters without consent.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAnchorage, Alaska
Kreiss-Tomkins tries to make up ground, launches six-figure ad buy in governor's race
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a former Sitka legislator, launched a six-figure ad campaign across Meta, YouTube, and radio for Alaska's 2026 governor's race, focusing on schools, fisheries, and cost of living.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Walker filing, running-mate picks turn Alaska governor race toward June deadline
Former Gov. Bill Walker filed to run for Alaska governor Thursday, four days before the June 1 deadline, reshaping a race where three other candidates also announced running mates this week.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
Begich selects Julia Hnilicka as running mate in Alaska governor's race
Begich picks Hnilicka as running mate.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAIAlaska
Alaska elections office denies Daniel J. Sullivan's U.S. Senate filing
Alaska election officials denied Petersburg resident Daniel J. Sullivan's U.S. Senate candidacy, finding his filing mimicked incumbent Dan S. Sullivan's name and campaign to confuse voters.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Kodiak seiners back Kreiss-Tomkins for governor
A Kodiak seiners' group endorsed Kreiss-Tomkins for governor on a fisheries platform — though "restore balance to the Board of Fish" means very different things to different fishermen.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Outside spending in the Alaska Senate race intensifies — Majority Forward ads target Sullivan
Outside spending lands in the Alaska Senate race. Majority Forward attacks Sullivan on Iran; GOP-aligned spending is 2x as large.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Sullivan's Bycatch Bill Wades Into Alaska's Hardest Fish Fight
Sullivan's sweeping bycatch bill targets trawl salmon catch — a real and raw grievance, even as federal science pins Alaska's river collapses mostly on a warming ocean.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min readAIAlaska
Alaska's top two Senate candidates both campaigned in Fairbanks on the same day
Alaska's top Senate candidates, Sullivan and Peltola, both worked Fairbanks on June 24 — in a close, nationally watched race where neither can cede the Interior.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIFairbanks, Alaska
Alaska's filing deadline turned the 2026 election from rumor into a real race
So many candidates, so little time left
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
Alaska's candidate withdrawal deadline is June 27. After Saturday, the August 18 primary ballot is largely set
Alaska's crowded 2026 governor race faces a June 27 withdrawal deadline. With 18 tickets filed and only four primary slots available, a divided Republican field could cost the right general-election slots even if conservative voters remain numerous.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Challenger named Dan Sullivan files for U.S. Senate race against incumbent Dan Sullivan
There are now two Dan Sullivans in the race. That’s gonna be confusing.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Supreme Court ruling on party spending hits Alaska's toss-up Senate race
Supreme Court struck down federal limits on party spending coordinated with candidates, opening unlimited Republican spending in Alaska's toss-up Senate race between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Alaska Senate Passes Education Bill With 4% Property Tax Cap
Senate passed education bill with 4% cap on required local contribution growth, limiting property value increases that shift school funding from state to local governments. • Bill includes energy grants for schools and teacher loan repayment up to $5,000 yearly for STEM and special education teachers. • Cap could cost state $41.6 million by 2035 but prevents districts from losing millions in revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIJuneau, Alaska
Two Alaska Democrats marked the Dobbs anniversary — over abortion rights the state already protects
Two Alaska Democrats marked the Dobbs anniversary vowing to protect abortion rights — which the state constitution already has, since 1972. Anniversary politics, on cue.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Open South Midtown seat draws three candidates after Josephson opts not to seek reelection.
House District 13 in South Midtown Anchorage has three candidates after Rep. Andy Josephson declined reelection: Democrat Lisa Keller, Democrat Felix Rivera, and Republican Sarah Short, in a district where the last race was decided by 477 votes.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAISouth Midtown Anchorage
Underwood-Eastman rematch gives Wasilla voters another House District 27 choice
Rep. Jubilee Underwood and former Rep. David Eastman, both Wasilla Republicans, are set for a rematch in House District 27 after Underwood defeated him by 196 votes in 2024.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIWasilla
Kreiss-Tomkins picks Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as running mate
Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, a Democratic-aligned candidate for Alaska governor, selected Anchorage Assembly member Zac Johnson as his running mate on the final filing day Monday.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAlaska
Tom Begich goes after Dunleavy over vocational-training vetoes
Begich is hammering Dunleavy for vetoing job-training money while the state promises a pipeline built by Alaskans — a rare direct shot at the governor from the campaign trail.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min readAIAlaska
Sullivan opens his Senate race with a $2.2M ad blitz
Sullivan is dropping $2.2M on ads before Alaska's primary — an early sign of how much money is about to flood one of the country's most competitive Senate races.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAIAlaska
The other Dan Sullivan case tests Alaska's election-law limits
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an investigation into Daniel James Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg, who filed as a Republican U.S. Senate candidate with the same name as the incumbent, testing Alaska's election-law authority to determine ballot eligibility and prevent voter confusion.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAIAlaska
Alaska investigates U.S. Senate candidate over name confusion claim
Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom opened an investigation June 8 into whether U.S. Senate candidate Daniel James Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg filed his declaration of candidacy to confuse voters
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAIAnchorage
Twenty-two-vote House race becomes open-seat fight in North Anchorage
David Nelson is OUT. It's former lawmaker Cliff Groh v Dan Sager.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAINorth Anchorage and JBER
Chase filing sets up Kotzebue, North Slope rematch in House District 40
A rematch up north between the sitting House Representative from HD40 and the Mayor of Kotzebue
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAlaska, USA
Legal memo says Daniel J. Sullivan appears eligible for U.S. Senate ballot
A Legislative Legal Services memo says Daniel J. Sullivan meets U.S. Constitution requirements for Senate and that the lieutenant governor likely lacked authority to reject his candidacy filing, though elections officials still list him as denied.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAIAlaska
