Why Alaska could also matter in these midterms

Midterm elections in the USA Why Alaska could matter this time As of: November 2nd, 2026 • 9:15 p.m

Although Alaska traditionally votes Republican, Democrat Peltola is ahead in polls. The outcome in the northernmost state could have a decisive influence on the midterms. The election campaign here is also determined by high prices.

Anyone who flies to Alaska by plane can look out the window at snow and mountains as far as the eye can see. No US state is larger. None of them have fewer people living in them. This is where the future majority in the US Senate could decide. “Alaska is one of the three or four most important races,” says Ian Hartman of the University of Alaska Anchorage. "If not the most important thing."

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The winters in Alaska are long and harsh, and the distance to work, school or the supermarket is long. The nationwide rise in prices for food and fuel is particularly noticeable here. "I feel like my salary doesn't go as far as it used to," says Brooke Wright, a mother of six from the Koyukon Athabaskan indigenous community, who traditionally rely on self-sufficiency through hunting and fishing.

Mother of six Brooke Wright is particularly affected by the increased prices.

In the USA, elections are often decided at the gas pump - a place that Brooke now fears. The Iran war has caused the prices of gasoline and diesel to skyrocket. "You wouldn't actually believe that this international war could have such a big impact on a village with 100 or 500 inhabitants," she says. "But honestly, I feel like we're probably feeling the impact the most."

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This is also the case for the residents of Kodiak. The fishing island in southern Alaska is actually firmly in Republican hands - but that could now change. Captain Jake Everich is particularly suffering from Donald Trump's trade policy. Whether spare parts for the engine room or computer systems on the bridge - many products come from abroad and were subject to tariffs under Trump. "Things that cost $500 last year now cost $1,000. It's an extremely fluid situation where we can't plan what will cost how much."

Expensive spare parts, expensive fuel - fisherman Jake Everich is thinking about voting for the Democrats this time.

So far, Jake has been a staunch Republican and voted for Trump. Now he's turning away from him, like many fishermen in Kodiak. "The tariffs are hitting Alaskans hard because we import everything. But the price of diesel is what's affecting us the most," said Terry Haines, the mayor of Kodiak. "It seemed pretty bad when it was $4 a gallon. But with today's prices, some fishermen are wondering if they can even afford to leave port."

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So free rein for Mary Peltola? Actually already. If it weren't for the "double Dan Sullivan" thing. According to research by the New York Times, Democrats searched across Alaska for people with the same name as the Republican incumbent to create confusion on the ballot.

We found what we were looking for with a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan. He ran for office - without any demonstrable ambition to actually seek the office. A dirty sleight of hand that is not new. Both parties have set up straw men in the past. "Is that reprehensible? Yes. Is it perhaps even unethical? Also. Is it illegal? Probably not," says Ian Hartman. Nevertheless, the Democrat's revelations could cost her some votes. "Is that the deciding factor in the election? That's at least within the realm of possibility."

This topic in the program: NDR Info | News | 11/02/2026 | 8:47 a.m