If you’re looking at a standard 2024 electoral map, Alaska looks like a giant slab of red. It’s been that way for decades. Since 1964, the "Last Frontier" has only gone for a Democrat once—Lyndon B. Johnson—and even then, it felt like an anomaly. But honestly, if you just label Alaska "red" and move on, you’re missing the weirdest, most fascinating political laboratory in America.
Basically, the answer to is alaska a red or blue state 2024 depends entirely on whether you’re looking at the top of the ticket or the people actually running the state house in Juneau.
The 2024 election results painted a picture of a state that is deeply conservative in its identity but fiercely independent in its execution. Donald Trump carried the state comfortably, yet the local government is a messy, beautiful patchwork of bipartisan coalitions that would make a D.C. strategist’s head spin.
The 2024 Presidential Reality: Still Deep Crimson
Let's get the big numbers out of the way. When it comes to the White House, Alaska didn't flinch. Donald Trump beat Kamala Harris by a decisive margin, pulling in roughly 54.5% of the vote compared to Harris's 41.4%.
It wasn't even particularly close.
Compared to 2020, Trump actually improved his standing. Back then, he won by about 10 points; this time, it was north of 13. You've got to understand the geography here to see why. While Anchorage and Juneau can lean blue or purple, the "Bush" (rural Alaska) and the Mat-Su Valley are massive Republican strongholds.
Even with a high number of independent voters, the pull of the GOP’s energy and resource policies—specifically around oil and gas—keeps the presidential needle firmly in the red.
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The Nick Begich vs. Mary Peltola Shocker
The real drama of 2024 wasn't the presidency; it was the fight for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House. For two years, Mary Peltola was the ultimate "blue" outlier. She’s a Yup’ik Democrat who won a special election in 2022, becoming a symbol of a "new" Alaska.
But in 2024, the red tide caught up.
Republican Nick Begich III—who, funnily enough, comes from a famous Democratic dynasty—flipped the seat back to the GOP. It was a tight race that went to the wire. Begich ended up with 51.2% after the final rounds of counting. Peltola’s loss was a massive blow to the "Alaska is turning purple" narrative that national media loved to push.
Why Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) Changes Everything
You can't talk about is alaska a red or blue state 2024 without talking about the math. Alaska uses Ranked Choice Voting. This system means if no one gets over 50% in the first round, the bottom candidate is kicked out, and their supporters' second choices are distributed.
In 2024, there was a massive effort (Ballot Measure 2) to repeal this system.
The "Yes on 2" crowd—mostly hardline Republicans—hated RCV because they felt it helped Democrats like Peltola win. The "No on 2" crowd argued it gave voters more power. In a stunningly close result, Alaskans voted to keep Ranked Choice Voting.
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The margin? Less than 1%.
This is the quintessential Alaska moment. The state voted for Trump by double digits, but then voted to keep a voting system that many in Trump’s own party despise.
The Bipartisan "Coalition" Weirdness
If you look at the Alaska State House after the 2024 election, you’ll see something that doesn't exist anywhere else. While Republicans technically won a majority of the seats, they don't actually "rule" the chamber.
Instead, Alaska has a long tradition of "Coalition Majorities."
Right after the 2024 results were certified, a group of Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans joined forces to take control of the House. They basically told the party leadership to take a hike. This is why Alaskans often laugh when outsiders call them a "Red State."
Sure, they like low taxes and guns. But they also like their lawmakers to actually talk to each other.
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Registration Numbers Tell the True Story
Look at the voter rolls. It’s the most honest data we have.
- Registered Republicans: ~24%
- Registered Democrats: ~12%
- Independent/Undeclared: ~58%
You read that right. More than half of the state refuses to join a party. This is the "frontier" mentality. Alaskans don't like being told what to do by a party boss in Washington or Nashville. They pick and choose.
Is Alaska Actually Turning Blue?
Probably not. Not in the way Virginia or Colorado did.
What we’re seeing is a state that is "De-Aligning." The urban centers are growing, which helps Democrats. But the Republican base is becoming more disciplined about using RCV to their advantage, as we saw with Nick Begich.
Alaska is a "Red State" that likes to flirt with the middle. It’s a place where a pro-fish, pro-oil Democrat can win one year, and a MAGA-aligned Republican can win the next.
Actionable Insights for Following Alaska Politics:
- Watch the Coalitions: Don't just look at who wins the most seats in the state legislature; wait to see who joins the "Majority Caucus." That’s where the power is.
- Ignore the "Red" Label: When analyzing 2026 or 2028, remember that the 58% of Independent voters are the ones who decide everything.
- Monitor RCV: Since Alaskans voted to keep Ranked Choice Voting, expect more moderate candidates to survive primaries that would kill them in other states.
- Resource Policy is King: If you want to know how an Alaskan will vote, look at the candidate’s stance on the Willow Project or the Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD). Everything else is secondary.
Alaska is red on the map, purple in the middle, and stubbornly independent at heart. It’s the only state where you can find a voter who ranks a Libertarian first, a Democrat second, and then goes home to clear brush with an AR-15. That’s just Alaska.
To keep tabs on how these shifting dynamics affect the 2026 midterms, keep a close eye on the Alaska Division of Elections certified tallies, as late-arriving mail-in ballots from the North Slope often shift the final percentages by a point or two weeks after the polls close.