Trump is heading all the way to Alaska in a sign of just how close its Senate race may be

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — It’s a long way from Washington, has a small population and hasn't backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years. 3.Trump is headlining a rally for Sen. Dan Sullivan in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Anchorage — famous for being the hometown of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the headquarters of the Iditarod sled dog race across the state.Trump's stop is part of a western swing also taking him to rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday.“Dan Sullivan’s a great senator,” Trump said last week, adding, "You look at the things he’s done.

He would call me all the time because I think — I definitely know — nobody has helped Alaska like Donald Trump.”Democrats last won a Senate seat in Alaska in 2008, and the state hasn't elected a governor from that party since 1998. The only time Alaska didn’t vote Republican for president was during Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide 1964 reelection.Yet high gasoline prices from the Iran war and persistently elevated inflation have damaged Trump's approval ratings enough to leave Democrats dreaming of Alaska upsets.Trump and Vance have been trying to boost Sullivan repeatedlySeeking his third Senate term, Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman running to put “Alaska First,” emphasizing cost-of-living issues.Alaska pollster Ivan Moore said he's seen a decline in Trump's support statewide that mirrors the president's falling approval ratings nationally — meaning the Senate race may be decided by Trump 2024 voters who are now unsure they still back him.“The visit is certainly appropriate.

Whether the visit will be effective or not is another matter," said Moore, who said when he first heard that Trump would visit Alaska, he didn't believe it would actually happen.The Trump administration has prioritized the opening of more of Alaska to oil and gas drilling. Vice President JD Vance already campaigned in Fairbanks for Sullivan.The senator also recently joined Trump in the Oval Office where the president announced a $54 billion investment by South Korea…