Election Results
Alaska voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election by a margin of approximately 13 points, continuing a long-standing pattern of GOP support at the presidential level.
Democratic presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
Republican presidential vote share
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 presidential margin (points) | 13 | 0 |
- •Alaska was the first state to adopt top-four ranked-choice voting for federal and state elections.
- •Despite its Republican lean, Alaska has elected independent and moderate candidates statewide.
Governors
Alaska's current governor is Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, who has led the state through debates over the Permanent Fund Dividend and budget policy.
| Governor | Party | In office |
|---|---|---|
| Mike Dunleavy | Republican | 2018–present |
| Bill Walker | Independent | 2014–2018 |
| Sean Parnell | Republican | 2009–2014 |
| Sarah Palin | Republican | 2006–2009 |
| Frank H. Murkowski | Republican | 2002–2006 |
| Tony Knowles | Democratic | 1994–2002 |
| Steve Cowper | Democratic | 1986–1990 |
| William Jennings Sheffield | Democratic | 1982–1986 |
| Jay S. Hammond | Republican | 1974–1982 |
| Keith H. Miller | Republican | 1969–1970 |
Source: National Governors Association, current and former governors.
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| PFD payment 2024 (USD) | 1702 | 0 |
- •Juneau, the state capital, is the only US state capital with no road connection to the rest of the state.
- •The governor's office plays a central role in managing distribution of Permanent Fund Dividend payments.
Senators
Alaska is represented in the US Senate by Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, though Murkowski is known for occasional bipartisan positions.
Democratic vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1978–2020MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse). Regular-term races; special elections only when no regular race was held. Independents (e.g. caucusing with Democrats) are not counted as Democratic; years without a Democratic nominee are omitted.
Republican vote share, U.S. Senate elections
1978–2022MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Senate seats held by Republicans | 2 | 1 |
- •Lisa Murkowski won re-election in 2010 as a write-in candidate after losing her primary.
- •Both of Alaska's senators serve on committees influential to the state's oil and fisheries industries.
Representatives
Alaska has a single at-large member of the US House, currently Nick Begich III, a Republican elected in 2024 to represent the entire state.
U.S. House seats apportioned to Alaska
1960–2020U.S. Census Bureau, decennial apportionment counts.
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| US House seats | 1 | 435 |
- •Alaska's at-large House seat covers the entire state, an area larger than Texas, California, and Montana combined.
- •Nick Begich III succeeded longtime independent-leaning Democrat Mary Peltola in the seat.
Voting Trends
Alaska's electorate is uniquely shaped by a large share of unaffiliated voters, with roughly 55% of registrants declining to state a party preference.
Total votes cast for president
1976–2024MIT Election Data and Science Lab, compiled from certified state results (Harvard Dataverse).
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated voter share (%) | 55 | 29 |
- •Over half of Alaska's registered voters are not affiliated with any political party.
- •Ranked-choice voting has occasionally allowed candidates from minority parties to advance further than in traditional primaries.
Party Distribution
With about 55% of voters unaffiliated, Alaska's registered party distribution is unusually fragmented compared to most other states, where major parties dominate registration rolls.
| Indicator | Alaska | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Unaffiliated voter share (%) | 55 | 29 |
- •Alaska allows voters to register without declaring a party affiliation, which most residents choose to do.
- •Party primaries in Alaska now feed into a nonpartisan top-four ranked-choice general election.