.webp)
At the Independent Center, we polled hundreds of registered Alaska voters. In this article, we will take a look at the sentiment of these voters heading into the 2024 elections including: how they’re relating to the election, key issues that are top of mind, and voting intentions. You can view the full survey data by joining the movement.
CANDIDATE’S APPROVAL RATINGS IN ALASKA
In our Alaska Target State Survey, we asked registered voters in Alaska “How do you view the current political climate in America?” They were given 5 options: ‘very positively,’ ‘somewhat positively,’ ‘somewhat negatively,’ or ‘very negatively.’ The responses showed that 75% of voters responded with either ‘somewhat negatively’ or ‘very negatively.’ This reveals a widespread sense of discontent and pessimism regarding the current state of America amongst Alaskan voters.
When asked, “Do you feel the Democrats have chosen their best candidate for the upcoming election?” 58% of voters felt that the Democrats haven’t selected their best candidate. Similarly, when asked, “Do you feel the Republicans have chosen their best candidate for the upcoming election?” 48% expressed the same sentiment regarding the Republican party’s choice. This suggests that voters are seeking better representation. They feel their voices and concerns are being overlooked by the political parties they’ve supported.
It’s clear that voters want to see reform. The dissatisfaction on both sides of the party line is higher than it’s ever been, and voters aren’t seeing a clear way forward. It’s unclear which side will come out on top, but it’s becoming more and more apparent that Alaska voters aren’t excited about the frontrunners on both the right and left.
KEY ISSUES FOR ALASKA VOTERS
To identify the most pressing concerns for Alaska voters, we asked “Of the following, what would you say is the most pressing issue in America today?” providing 12 options to choose from. Out of the responses, 23% of voters ranked immigration as the most pressing issue, and 14% ranked jobs and the economy as the most pressing. The data makes clear that these two issues will largely drive voter decisions, outweighing issues like taxes (12%), abortion (8%), police reform (4%) and national security (5%).
TRUMP LEADS IN ALASKA
After asking, “If this year’s presidential election were between Republican Donald Trump, and Democrat Joe Biden, how would you vote?” A total of 36% of people said they’d vote for Biden, whereas 55% said they’d vote for Trump, and 14% were undecided.
These results indicate that Alaska is leaning heavily towards the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, which is consistent with the state’s historical voting patterns. However, when we asked the same set of voters, “Do you expect in the course of the presidential election campaign you might change your mind about the presidential candidate you will vote for?” a notable 11% of Alaska voters said that they expect they might change their mind on their chosen candidate, and on top of that a substantial 23% said they weren’t sure. This is not a small portion of the population that is saying they’re uncertain about who they’re voting for. This suggests that voters may feel that none of the candidates adequately represent their interests or align with their values, leading to a reluctance to firmly commit to any one candidate.
This further proves that more and more people are frustrated with the current political landscape and are identifying somewhere in the middle of the two party system.
In summary, the attitudes of Alaskan voters appear to show (mirroring the sentiment of US voters writ large) a disillusionment with the present political climate and a yearning for a shift in direction. Furthermore, the topics that are likely to have the greatest influence on voting decisions in Alaska center around the challenges of immigration policy and the quality of leadership in government.
