Politics & Campaigns
RSSAlaska News tracks coverage of state and federal political campaigns, including gubernatorial and Senate races, candidate positions on issues like the PFD.
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
Cook Political Report shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up
A nonpartisan forecaster moved Alaska's Senate race to toss-up — real, independent polling behind it, though the state's Republican lean means "toss-up" isn't the same as an upset.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Two rulings just reshaped Alaska's Senate race
The Supreme Court just erased limits on party spending coordinated with candidates — unleashing money into Alaska's Senate race the same week a second Dan Sullivan made the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A judge says Alaska can't keep the second Dan Sullivan off the Senate ballot
A judge put the second Dan Sullivan on the GOP Senate primary ballot, beside the senator he's named like. The state had no "good-faith" rule to keep him off.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Departing Kodiak assemblyman warns: prepare for the Coast Guard boom
Kodiak Assemblyman Dave Johnson resigned with a warning to prepare for incoming Coast Guard icebreakers and fix housing. The Assembly will appoint his replacement July 16.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sullivan and Peltola, fighting over the same salmon
Sullivan introduced a bycatch bill he calls the most sweeping ever; Peltola, who's owned the salmon issue for years, counters with a tougher plan. The science is contested.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A judge weighs whether Alaska gets two Dan Sullivans
Will the real Dan Sullivan please stand up? We're gonna have a problem here. Y'all act like you never seen two Sullivans before. J's all on the floor, like the "S" walked in and slammed the door.
by Cale Green3mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska Democrats mark Dobbs anniversary, but abortion rights here remain protected
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska kicked Sullivan off the ballot. In 2024, the state argued it couldn't
Alaska kicked Sullivan off the ballot for filing 'not in good faith.' In 2024, the state literally argued in court that wasn't its call.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Peltola releases Alaska fisheries platform anchored in factory trawling ban
Democrat Mary Peltola released a Senate campaign fisheries platform calling for a ban on factory trawling and tribal seats on the North Pacific Fishery Management Council. • Peltola, a former U.S. representative and fishing boat captain, cited declining salmon returns as urgency for the reforms. • The platform also proposes freezing the Federal Subsistence Board's current composition and expanding electronic monitoring for bycatch.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Mat-Su Says No to Swapping Property Tax for Sales Tax
Mat-Su weighed trading its property tax for a 6.5% sales tax — same money, different payers — and decided renters, shoppers, and an untested legal handcuff made it a bad bet for the ballot.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Murkowski and Sullivan split on a motion to discharge an Iran War Powers Resolution
Iran War Powers Resolution: Murkowski yes, Sullivan no. The 2020 version went the same way. Pattern noted.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Cook Political Report shifts Alaska Senate race to Toss Up as Peltola leads Sullivan
Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Dan Sullivan 49.4 percent to 44.2 percent in a new poll of Alaska's U.S. Senate race, but falls short of the 50 percent needed to win under ranked-choice voting.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Senator Sullivan threatens legal action over namesake challenger
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan is threatening legal action against Republican challenger Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, claiming the shared name is designed to confuse voters in Alaska's top-four primary.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min readCoast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska, with two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak by 2028 and a third in Seward, following $3.5 billion in federal funding.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
APOC fines George Martinez after campaign-paid flight to Florida
Oh goodness... I guess campaign finance laws were made for a reason.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
Coast Guard will homeport four icebreakers in Alaska by 2028, with two in Kodiak, one in Seward, and a fourth location to be named, funded by $3.5 billion in federal legislation.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska elections director moves to disqualify Senate challenger
Alaska's elections director ruled Thursday that Republican Senate challenger Dan J. Sullivan is ineligible to run in the August primary, citing unspecified complaints about his eligibility.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Senate race shifts to toss-up as Peltola challenges Sullivan
A nonpartisan forecaster moved Alaska's 2026 Senate race to toss-up, citing Democrat Mary Peltola's strong 2024 House showing and Republican Dan Sullivan's weak profile, though Alaska remains solidly Republican.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Coast Guard to homeport four icebreakers in Alaska
The Coast Guard will homeport two Arctic Security Cutters in Kodiak and one in Seward starting in 2028, funded by $3.5 billion in the 2025 Working Families Tax Cuts Act.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Crystal Ball shifts Alaska Senate race to toss-up as Peltola leads eight polls
University of Virginia's Crystal Ball rated Alaska's 2026 Senate race a toss-up, shifting from lean Republican after Democrat Mary Peltola entered against incumbent Dan Sullivan. • Peltola's campaign says she leads in eight consecutive polls and unveiled a wages-focused tax proposal. • Republican super PACs committed $21 million to oppose her.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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 AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
