Republicans Fear Sullivan Could Lose Alaska Seat as Trump Ties Shadow 2026 Re-election Bid
Updated
Updated · POLITICO · Oct 14
Republicans Fear Sullivan Could Lose Alaska Seat as Trump Ties Shadow 2026 Re-election Bid
3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Oct 14
Summary
Alaska Republicans are increasingly worried Senator Dan Sullivan’s 2026 re-election path is narrowing, with some operatives warning the state is “turning blue.”
Trump’s rally appearance tied Sullivan even closer to the president after Trump urged voters to act as if he were on the ballot and repeated a promise of $5,000 dividends if Republicans keep both chambers.
Sullivan has largely avoided breaking with Trump, casting Democrats as waging a “forever war” on Alaska oil and gas even as he did not join four Republican senators, including Lisa Murkowski, in urging Trump to reverse Russian diesel imports.
Veteran strategist Art Hackney, who runs a pro-Sullivan super PAC, said many supporters want Sullivan to be blunter with Trump but see loyalty—and fear of retaliation like Murkowski has faced—as shaping his approach.