Janice R. Andrews
A new poll by Alaska Survey Research shows that Vice President Kamala Harris is closing the gap on former President Donald Trump in Alaska. This is a big surprise because Alaska hasn’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson won in 1964.
The study, which was done on September 11 and 12, shows that Trump has 47% of potential voters’ support, while Harris only has 42%, which is only 5 points behind. The lead for Republicans in the state has shrunk by a large amount. Trump won Alaska by more than 10 points in 2020.
Alaska has a history of being politically independent. For example, Senator Lisa Murkowski won reelection in 2020 even though Trump backed her opponent. In 2022, Democrat Mary Peltola won Alaska’s ranked-choice election and got a seat in Congress.
It’s still not likely that Harris will win Alaska in 2024, but pollster Nate Silver says she has a better chance there than in Florida or Texas, which are also very important states. Silver’s model says Harris has a 22% chance of winning Alaska. This means the race will be closer than most people thought in this very red state.
The poll was taken after the September 2024 presidential discussion on ABC News, which 67% of Alaskans who answered watched. 52 percent of those watchers said Harris did better than Trump, which may have helped her get higher poll numbers.
Alaska has traditionally voted Republican in presidential elections, but the state is becoming less stable, which could change the outcome of the 2024 race. Harris is closing in on Trump in a state that has long been seen as a GOP stronghold.
