One of the GOP’s biggest worries is that their voters, who are skeptical of a ranked choice system that the party has relentlessly criticized, won’t rank candidates beyond their first choice.
Alaska Governor Moves from Lean Republican to Toss Up
Jessica Walter, The Cook Political Report, September 17, 2026
Last week, we shifted the four-way Alaska gubernatorial race one step in Democrats’ direction into the Lean Republican column. But this week we have gotten further evidence that the lone Democrat in the race, former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, is opening up an advantage that merits putting the contest into Toss Up as the race continues to develop.
As we noted earlier, Republicans are rightly worried that their three candidates listed on the ballot are splitting the vote in the ranked-choice contest. A bipartisan AARP poll conducted by FabrizioWard/Impact Research shows Kreiss-Tomkins taking 40% in the first round of voting, followed by conservative activist Bernadette Wilson at 20%, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson at 14% and former Attorney General Treg Taylor at 7%, with 18% undecided. In a ranked choice simulation, Kreiss-Tomkins eventually wins the contest 55%-45%. Private Democratic polling also tracks with the AARP poll results.
Eighty-seven percent of likely voters 50 and older rated their motivations to vote a 10 on a 10-point scale, compared with 62% of voters under 50. Among voters younger than 35, 43% gave themselves the highest rating.
AARP poll finds older Alaska voters more motivated for election
Jeffrey Kennett, Juneau Empire Writer, September 17, 2026
Alaska voters 50 and older report much higher motivation to vote in November than younger voters, according to an AARP survey that also found groceries and gasoline dominate affordability concerns across age groups.
The poll’s likely-voter model puts Alaskans 50 and older at about 63% of the electorate, pollster Bob Ward of Fabrizio Ward said in an interview Thursday. The gap in self-reported motivation is one reason, he said, to pay attention to age when examining the results of Alaska’s statewide races.
Republicans have been looking for every possible solution to bring down soaring diesel and gasoline prices, but there’s one the Trump administration still won’t go for: an export ban.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STANDS FIRM AGAINST DIESEL EXPORT BAN –
David Blackmon’s 5 Big Energy Ideas, September 18, 2026 (subscription required)
Secretary Wright shot down the possibility of the administration endorsing any type of ban on fuels this morning, saying that while the U.S. is a net exporter of products like diesel, the country does still import gasoline.
“We consume a larger percent of gasoline out of each barrel of oil than a barrel of oil yields,” Wright said.
He explained that if the U.S. were to stop exporting diesel, refineries would slow down their operations, as they would run out of places to sell that product. As a result, refineries would start producing less gasoline, leading to higher prices at the pump.
“It’s a globally interconnected system,” Wright said. “The thing we need when prices are high is more supply. We need to do everything we can to grow supply, and if you start putting barriers on flows, pretty quickly you will reduce the production, and you’ll have less supply.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune expressed interest in a diesel export ban earlier in the week, saying that if it were to take pressure off prices, he was “open to exploring it.” The idea, however, has also been shot down by other administration officials, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Wright’s remarks come as experts warn gas and diesel prices will spike even higher in the coming days.