By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 14, 2026 – Dave Bronson has circulated a statement re-explaining himself after President Donald Trump endorsed Bernadette Wilson on Tuesday and after the president publicly called him out. The problem is, Bronson’s story keeps changing.
He distributed the explanation by text and as a formal campaign statement on Facebook. The wording is substantively identical. The consequential differences are between what Bronson says now and what he said before.
Previously, Bronson told the media that the president had not told him to suspend his campaign.
Now, in his own written statement, Bronson acknowledges: “He did ask me to leave the race.”
Which time was Bronson not being straight with the public?
Bronson now says his commitment to suspend was conditional: He would only do so if Trump persuaded the remaining candidates to suspend their campaigns as well. He said Bernadette Wilson and Treg Taylor would have to suspend. He says no such agreement was reached.
In what world would the president ask all the Republicans to suspend?
That is his explanation, however.
Trump’s public account is that Bronson agreed to leave before reversing course.
“The President and I remember these conversations differently, and I’ll leave it at that,” Bronson writes.
Bronson may want to leave it there. Others who were listening and advising the president during those calls may have something to contribute. Does Bronson not realize that the president’s phone calls are recorded and he can get the tape easily and play what was said?
Bronson’s statement also leaves unanswered the accounts provided to me — that Bronson told the White House how he was sure Bernadette Wilson would be thrown off the ballot and then told the president he had raised $2 million. Those are consequential misrepresentations, and Bronson should address them directly.
What was the basis for the ballot claim? What money was he describing? He’s down to his last $6,000. Where’s the $2 million?
The lengthy statement offers no answers to the real questions.
What it does offer is a revealing list of positions Bronson has now put in writing:
- – He acknowledges that Trump asked him to leave the race.
- – He describes his commitment to suspend as being conditional. This is a new version.
- – He disputes the president’s recollection.
- – He blames the president’s intervention for fracturing the Republican vote.
- – He claims nearly 90% of voters who did not support the leading primary candidate are now discouraged from voting, without providing evidence.
- – He declares that he will not follow the president’s words.
That is quite a statement from a candidate whose campaign is flat broke and, from the looks of it, broken.
Bronson devotes considerable space to explaining why he feels obligated to continue. He offers much less about how continuing will produce the conservative government he says Alaska needs.
Instead, he blames Trump for dividing Republicans. Just as his sidekick Josh Church earlier blamed this writer.
This comes after Bronson’s own criticism of Bernadette Wilson, Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and Republican Party Chair Carmela Warfield. It comes after his debate performance, during which he found so many opportunities to praise Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins while questioning the leading Republican. It was so obvious that people joked he was trying to get a job either the JKT administration.
Now he wants to lecture Republicans about unity?
Apparently, calling Wilson “emotionally unfit” for office is compatible with bringing people together, while anyone asking Republicans to consolidate behind her is divisive.
His claim about discouraged voters deserves particular scrutiny.
Bronson writes that nearly 90% of voters who did not vote for the leading primary candidate are now discouraged from voting at all. He supplies no poll, survey, or other evidence for that extraordinary assertion.
The statement turns a primary election result into a claim about voter motivation. He purposefully ignores the fact that there were 12 Republican candidates in the primary. And if Bronson is concerned about discouraged voters, he has an immediate opportunity to help: Encourage them. Give them a reason to participate. Explain why the Senate race and the House race deserve their attention.
He does urge support for Sen. Dan Sullivan. But he surrounds that appeal with whining about the president and the Republican Party, which weakens his
How much enthusiasm does he expect to generate while pouring cold water on the people trying to win this election?
Bronson also invokes his donors, saying they contributed hard-earned money. He believes that compels him to continue indefinitely, regardless of the circumstances. So he is spending the closing weeks undermining fellow Republicans.
His statement condemns divisive, ego-driven politics, then churns up his own grievances.
The president misunderstood, he said. The party failed, he said. Other people did not do what Bronson thought they should do.
Where is his responsibility in any of this? This increasingly resembles a political kamikaze mission. As his own prospects diminish, his attacks threaten damage well beyond his candidacy.
Whatever his intention, the Democrat benefit from his continued drama.
So, Dave, explain the change from saying the president didn’t ask you to suspend to that he did, in fact ask you. That the president’s memory of the conversation was faulty.
Then explain how throwing cold water on the Republican effort helps elect the conservatives you say Alaska needs.
A campaign can sink into irrelevance and still do considerable damage on the way down. He is beginning to look like a kamikaze pilot, ready to crash the plane if he can’t get his way.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of The Alaska Story and is a longtime Alaskan.
8 thoughts on “Suzanne Downing: Bronson’s kamikaze campaign sinks into irrelevance”
It doesn’t matter how awful Bronson is, because of RCV we must rank him to avoid a truly awful dem guv.
It doesn’t matter how you rank them (though it’s clear the Wilson has a decisive lead)- just rank all three so your vote does not become exhausted.
We must defeat jkt.
Thank you! I wasn’t certain you had it IN you.
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W T B
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W B T
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W T
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W B
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They all help
Pretty typical of Republicans to implode at almost the last second. I wish they’d get their act together.
John Hancock, trouble is… Republicans are the stupid party while Demo- Commies are the EVIL party.
Guess who wins that contest?
Maybe IF Republicans quit with the purity spiral, and realize its politics and not Theology, we might have a great chance of winning. What do you think?
“Whatever his intention, the Democrat benefit from his continued drama.” You got that right Downing. Nationally, this election will become one of those first aid emergency scenarios taught to medical providers about what not to do.
Bronson appears to have serious issues with truth-telling. At a recent GOTV event after the gubernatorial candidate debate where he bent over to lick the boots of JKT while disparaging Bernadette Wilson, he said the opposite to those at the event. He went on about how radical left JKT was and how he should never be near the levers of power in Alaska’s government. Many in attendance had not seen the debate so they believed him. I would have done the same had The Alaska Story not written the article and given the video link to it. So which is it Dave?
Bronson is a typical Neo-Con.
Big Israel supporter – do the math.
Free trade, endless wars, open borders for big business cheap labor.
Trump has great policies – unfortunately the “short hats” got him in Israel and the Epstein files.
We cannot afford to abandon the party over these two matters.
Rank the Red.
The alternative is the socialist / communist Left.
Bronson is still number 1 for me. Don’t know that I like him but prefer him over Wilson. Not sure she can be trusted. I am glad Bronson did not drop out. He had a great chance to be in the lead after the first round of ballet counting. The problem is a lot of Wilson voters won’t rank him and cost us the election.