The Alaska Story (Substack)

Good Friday morning! Arctic caribou from the air. The Western Arctic caribou herd is estimate to be at 201,000 animals. Watching a herd of caribou from the air, you realize there’s no committee meeting, no strategic plan, and apparently no agreement about which direction everyone should be going and who should drop. Alaska Republican politics is looking a little like that right now.

Good Wednesday morning! There’s an old-fashioned idea that still matters in Alaska: Your word is your bond. That makes today’s top story especially interesting. Before the primary, Dave Bronson signed and initialed a Republican vetting document pledging to withdraw from the governor’s race if he was not the top Republican vote-getter. He wasn’t.

Good Monday morning! US Sen. Dan Sullivan speaks to a crowd in Seward on Friday evening at a meet-and-greet campaign stop. Over 250 people attended. Power is the theme this morning. Political power is still hanging by a thread, with just 17 votes separating the candidates fighting for the fourth and final spot on Alaska’s US Senate ballot. Down near Tok, downed power lines are the suspected cause of the destructive Mukluk Fire, although the official investigation is still underway.

Good Friday morning! It’s Alaska State Fair season. So much to do! A devastating air crash to report, questions about election safeguards, campaign-finance reports are revealing who was really behind some of those nasty primary attacks, and the Alaska State Fair is starting, so the rainy weather can’t be far behind. Today is a travel day for me, so I’ll be working from airports a lot. There’s a lot to catch up on before we head into the weekend. Let’s get to it.

Good Wednesday morning! Former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell joined me on Election Night at the hottest results-watching party in town, the Bernadette Wilson for Governor event. Our broadcast was drowned out by the enthusiastic crowd, but everyone had a great time. It was a wild and crazy election night in Alaska’s jungle primary, with crowded statewide races, surprise finishers, and even a candidate serving in prison collecting enough votes to make the final four in a race.

Monday evening view of fire burning near Tok, Alaska. Good Tuesday morning! This is an Election Day Extra edition of The Alaska Story newsletter. Grab your coffee — we’ve got a lot to catch up on as Alaska votes. ~ Suzanne The Alaska Story is a reader-supported publication. Become a paid subscriber. 💸 Hook and squeeze: The Democratic fundraising machine is vacuuming up thousands of small donations from elderly donors, including Alaskans.

It was a Kirkland-sized turnout at Midtown Mall in Anchorage on Sunday, where the line of voters stretched down the hall and out the door. Good Monday morning! The finish line is in sight. Alaska’s primary election ends Tuesday at 8 pm, but tens of thousands of Alaskans have cast early ballots, and there’s time to vote early today. Grab your coffee — we’ve got a lot to catch up on before Alaska votes. ~ Suzanne The Alaska Story is a reader-supported publication. Become a paid subscriber.

Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin with the US Coast Guard in Kodiak earlier this week. Good Friday morning! The weekend is almost here. Early voting is surging, door-knocking is all the rage, and the special session is all but dead. The Homeland Security secretary was in the state warning about cartel activity, and Kamala endorses Mary. Weird week? You bet.

Good Wednesday morning! National Weather Service preparing Juneau emergency management professionals for the glacial flood expected this week from Suicide Basin. NWS photo. It's shaping up to be a historic week, especially in Southeast Alaska. Juneau residents along the Mendenhall River are watching Suicide Basin and are busy packing go-bags, travelers on the Klondike Highway are stranded after a massive rockslide. And in the Capitol, another round of gasline games.

Good Monday morning! Between Golden Knights parachute team demonstrations and Blue Angels, the 2026 Arctic Thunder Air Show on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was one for the history books. The raspberries are ripe, nagoonberries can't be far behind, and every salmon stream in Alaska seems to be calling someone's name. Summer isn't over yet, even if the campaign calendar says otherwise. With just a week until the Aug.