Politics & Campaigns
RSSAlaska News tracks coverage of state and federal political campaigns, including gubernatorial and Senate races, candidate positions on issues like the PFD.
Aleutians East newsletter flags fisheries as defining issue in 2026 Alaska races
Aleutians East Borough won a legal fight over salmon fishing rules in May and is now directing voters to check where candidates stand on fisheries in the 2026 governor, Senate, and House races.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Petersburg pushed back when the state pulled Sullivan off the ballot
Newly released letters show Petersburg residents demanding the state show its evidence for pulling their neighbor off the Senate ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska elections hearing reveals FBI contact, no precedent for 'good faith' test
State election officials admit they used a new good-faith test only on one candidate. They still refuse to explain why the FBI called.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A $700 property tax break, paid for by a 1% sales tax
Mat-Su voters will decide in November whether to shave about $700 off homeowners' property taxes and pay for it with a 1% sales tax on everyone.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Wheel Dog PAC spent about $500,000 supporting Hill as Alaska primary nears
A political action committee spent about $500,000 backing independent congressional candidate Bill Hill ahead of Alaska's August 18 primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska Democrats hold a volunteer picnic ahead of primary election
Alaska Democrats are gathering at an Anchorage park Thursday evening to sign up volunteers, four weeks out from a primary with a Senate seat on it.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
He listed two Alaska move-in dates. Then he quit the race.
A Kenai-area candidate filed two different Alaska move-in dates on two candidacy forms. Asked to prove one, he withdrew the next morning.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Peltola out-raises Sullivan, who still has more cash banked
Peltola is out-raising Sullivan roughly four to one this year. Sullivan still has more money in the bank. Both facts are true at once.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 min read
United Fishermen of Alaska launches 'I Vote Fish' campaign ahead of August 18 primary
United Fishermen of Alaska launched its I Vote Fish campaign Tuesday to push fishers toward early and absentee voting before the August 18 primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kreiss-Tomkins documents $20 milk, absent law enforcement in 11 Yukon River villages
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins documented $20 milk, $12 gas, scarce law enforcement, and collapsed salmon runs across 11 Yukon River villages in a four-day boat tour.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sullivan campaign ad features veteran the VA told to leave Alaska for care
Sen. Dan Sullivan's campaign features a retired Marine who says the VA initially told him to move to Seattle for care, arguing Alaska veterans lack reliable access to specialized treatment at home.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Peltola challenges Sullivan for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat
Mary Peltola, Alaska's first Alaska Native in Congress, challenges Republican Dan Sullivan for his U.S. Senate seat Nov. 3, with mid-2026 polls showing her ahead by five to seven points.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The SAVE Act now rides on the defense bill Alaska wants
The SAVE Act is now attached to the defense bill carrying Alaska's military money — putting Murkowski's opposition against Sullivan's biggest win in one vote.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read
Alaska voter registration deadline is today for August 18 primary
Alaska's voter registration deadline for the August 18 primary is today, July 19. Register at voterregistration.alaska.gov or check your status at myvoterportal.alaska.gov.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Alaska ballot will show two Dan Sullivans differently — here's what voters need to know
Two Dan Sullivans will appear on Alaska's August 18 primary ballot after a court ruled the challenger cannot be removed, though his Republican party label will not print next to his name.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Juneau candidate filing closes July 27 for five Assembly and school board seats
Juneau candidates have until 4:30 p.m. Monday, July 27, to file for five Assembly and school board seats in the October 6 election.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Savoonga's voting barriers surface in Senate election-integrity debate
Sen. Murkowski cited Savoonga's $1,000 travel costs to register in person under the proposed SAVE America Act. • U.S. Department of Justice found Alaska violated disability-access voting rules in 2024. • Absentee ballot application deadline for 2026 Primary is August 8.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Peltola puts numbers on rural fuel crisis: $21 a gallon in Noatak, $15 coming for St. Mary's
Senate candidate Mary Peltola cited fuel prices of $21 a gallon in Noatak and $14 to $15 expected in St. Mary's, calling for Congress to investigate price gouging.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Peltola reports $16 million raised, accuses Sullivan of taking $400K from trawling industry
Peltola raised $16 million from 131,000 donors, averaging under $50 per gift. • She accused Sullivan of taking $400,000 from the trawling industry. • Peltola frames the race around salmon protection for subsistence communities.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Matt Schultz suspends U.S. House campaign, backs Bill Hill
Matt Schultz suspended his U.S. House campaign Friday and endorsed Bill Hill to focus on defeating Nick Begich in August.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Sullivan ad misleads on Peltola's military vote, fact-checkers find, as Senate race tightens
FactCheck.org found Sullivan's ads misleadingly claim Peltola opposed military pay raises, though she voted for the final defense bill with a 5.2% raise. The Senate race is now a toss-up.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Outside PACs pour $2.5M into Alaska federal races ahead of August primary
Outside groups have spent $2.5 million on Alaska's federal races ahead of the August 18 primary, with most of that money targeting Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate bid.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Alaska ballot measure to restore campaign contribution limits heads to August 18 primary
Alaska voters will decide August 18 whether to restore campaign contribution limits for state and local races, but voter registration closes July 19.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Peltola campaign opens grant program for Alaska artists
Mary Peltola's Senate campaign is offering grants to Alaska artists for new work, with applications due August 7 and selected pieces shown in an October 9 auction.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Island Borough opens candidate filing for October 6 election
Ever wanted to run for Office now is your chance, sport. Step on. up to the plate! Why even you could be a politician here in the fine town of Kodiak! Ever dreamed of having your name and lights?!
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
Anchorage has become Russian shorthand for a disputed Ukraine understanding
Russia keeps calling the 2025 Anchorage summit the birthplace of a Ukraine peace deal. The U.S. says it produced a proposal, not an agreement.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Wasilla's mayor is termed out, and the first candidate to replace her just filed
Wasilla's mayor is term-limited, so the seat's open this fall — and Stu Graham is first to signal a run, filing before the July 20–31 window even opens.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
NRA backs Sullivan after endorsing Peltola two years ago
Sullivan's touting his A+ NRA endorsement as proof Peltola's soft on guns — awkward, since the NRA endorsed Peltola herself two years ago.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
TCC and Interior Native Vote host candidate mixers in Fairbanks before August primary
Big ballot, tiny primary turnout, and free food — Tanana Chiefs Conference are putting Interior voters face-to-face with the candidates. Just register by Sunday first.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Frier vs. Chase: a rematch for Alaska's northernmost House seat
Alaska's biggest, coldest House district is a 2024 rematch: Rep. Robyn Frier vs. Kotzebue Mayor Saima Chase, both running hard on public safety.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska's newsroom is auditing what AI tells voters — and it keeps changing
An Alaska newsroom is running a daily audit of what AI tells voters — 15 models, 160,000+ answers — and finding the bots flip their pick by the day, and by your hometown.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Mat-Su weighs a flood emergency and a tax overhaul
The Mat-Su Assembly takes up a Talkeetna flood emergency and a November ballot plan that would swap a new 3% sales tax for a cap on property taxes.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Peltola posts a record $7 million quarter in the Alaska Senate race
Peltola posted a record $7M quarter in the Alaska Senate race — a real haul, but Sullivan holds more cash on hand, his Q2 number isn't in yet, and outside money will dwarf both.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska's October election is already in motion
Alaska's Oct. 6 municipal election is already gearing up — clerks are in training now, and the deadline that matters most for voters, registration, closes Sept. 6.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Peltola calls for 12-year congressional term limits, asks Alaska legislature to act
Mary Peltola wants 12-year congressional term limits. She is asking Alaska lawmakers to force a legal challenge to federal rules.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Interior Native Vote brings candidates to Fairbanks tribal hall July 20
Interior Native Vote hosts a candidate forum July 20 at Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall in Fairbanks, six weeks before the August 18 primary.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Kodiak Borough assembly scheduled to introduce marijuana tax measure for October ballot
Kodiak Borough Assembly introduces a 3% marijuana tax Thursday for an Oct. 6 voter decision, potentially raising $135,000 to $150,000 yearly for health and education programs.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Supreme Court puts Petersburg's Dan Sullivan back on August ballot
Alaska Supreme Court ordered the Division of Elections to place retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on the August 18 primary ballot alongside U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
