Alaska and Wyoming Primaries: Key Races to Watch

Alaska and Wyoming, two Republican strongholds, held primaries on Tuesday (August 18), with races that are expected to have impacts far beyond their small voter bases.

In Alaska, this year's primary is notable because the state uses a single primary ballot for all parties instead of separate party ballots, according to the rank-choice voting initiative passed by voters in 2020. The top four vote-getters will advance to the general election.

The Alaska Senate race is seen as having the most national significance, as it could determine control of the Senate. Incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan faces former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola. Alaska has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, but Peltola, who represented Alaska in the House from 2022 to 2025, has proven that a Democrat can win statewide.

A March poll by Alaska Survey Research showed Peltola leading Sullivan among primary voters with 46.4% to 40.9%. The race has attracted millions of dollars in campaign spending, including over $2 million from super PACs aimed at boosting lesser-known candidates, according to Alaska Public Media.

An unusual aspect of this race is that two candidates share the name Dan Sullivan on the ballot. In addition to the incumbent senator, there is Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg. The Alaska Supreme Court ordered him back on the primary ballot after he was initially removed over confusion concerns. While November's election uses ranked-choice voting, the primary ballot allows selecting only one candidate, so the risk of voters mistakenly casting their ballot for the wrong candidate with the same name could affect the outcome.

Both Sullivan and Peltola hold pro-Israel stances. Senator Sullivan, 61, has repeatedly supported military aid to Israel and opposed efforts by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute Israeli officials. He also enjoys significant backing from major political organizations, including the Senate Leadership Fund, which has committed at least $15 million. Peltola has also supported Israel-related legislation in the House, occasionally diverging from her Democratic colleagues.

Meanwhile, the Alaska gubernatorial race features 17 candidates, a crowded and competitive field to replace Governor Mike Dunleavy, who is term-limited. Notable candidates include former Governor Bill Walker (independent), Republicans Click Bishop, Shelley Hughes, Lesil McGuire, Dave Bronson, Adam Crum, Edna DeVries, Treg Taylor, and Bernadette Wilson, along with Democrats Tom Begich and Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.

In Wyoming, the least populous state in the U.S., this primary sees personnel changes at nearly all levels of government. The Senate race is in the spotlight as incumbent Senator Cynthia Lummis decided not to seek re-election, paving the way for Representative Harriet Hageman to run. Hageman, who rose to prominence by defeating Liz Cheney in 2022 with backing from former President Trump, is considered the front-runner. Other Republican candidates include former mayor Kirby Sam Mead and businessman Jimmy Skovgard.

The Wyoming GOP is divided between the hardliners controlling the state House and traditional conservatives with more influence in the Senate. In an April interview with Jackson Hole Community Radio, Mead argued that Hageman's support from Trump, Lummis, and Barrasso comes with expectations that she will support the administration regardless of the issue, while he declared he would oppose Trump on public lands, tariffs, and foreign wars if policies run counter to Wyoming's interests.

The race to replace Hageman in the House features nine Republican candidates and is predicted to be the most expensive contest of the day. Candidates include former state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, state Senate President Bo Biteman, businessmen Steve Friess and Reid Rasner, and Secretary of State Chuck Gray.