By SUZANNE DOWNING
May 24, 2026 – As Alaska’s candidate filing deadline approaches, Democrats are making an aggressive push into one of the reddest political strongholds in the state: the Mat-Su Valley.
The Mat-Su Democrats this week blasted out a recruitment email urging progressives to step forward and challenge Republican lawmakers across the borough, where GOP candidates dominate nearly every legislative seat and Donald Trump won more than 72% of the presidential vote in 2024.
“Mat-Su needs you!” the email declared, encouraging residents unhappy with current lawmakers to file for office before the June 1 deadline.
“Unhappy that our local senators and representatives always seem to vote against our children?” the email asked. “Wish someone would run who wants to improve our state and borough? What about you?”
The recruitment drive comes as Democrats increasingly target suburban and fast-growing regions around the country, even in areas where Republicans currently hold commanding advantages. In Alaska, the Mat-Su Valley has long been considered the conservative heart of the state, routinely delivering overwhelming margins for Republican candidates.
According to 2024 presidential election results compiled by precinct, Trump received 40,140 votes in the borough, or 72.5%, compared to 13,343 votes for Kamala Harris, who received 24.1%. Trump carried the borough by nearly 48 percentage points, making Mat-Su one of the strongest Republican regions in Alaska.
Despite those numbers, Democrats are openly signaling they believe the borough is worth contesting. The strategy may to simply keep the candidates in the Valley busy and to make sure they have to spend time and money on their own campaigns, not helping out fellow Republicans around the state.
The email specifically ties the recruitment effort to dissatisfaction over education funding and controversy surrounding the Mat-Su Borough School District, which is considering the closure of some schools amid budget pressures.
“Mat Su School District is in crisis mode,” the email states. “Our representatives almost always vote against school funding. Will you help? Will you run? Will you vote?”
The message also outlines the Democrats’ growing campaign infrastructure effort in the valley, including canvassing launches, phone banks, organizing meetings, voter-access training sessions, and volunteer opportunities designed to support prospective Democratic candidates.
The Alaska Democratic Party, according to the email, is “setting up a system to help candidates in Mat-Su.”
Among the Republican-held seats Democrats are targeting are House Districts 25 through 30 and Senate seats currently held by Republican lawmakers including Sen. Cathy Tilton and Sen. George Rauscher.
Several of those districts are represented by newer legislators, including appointed incumbents Reps. Steve St. Clair and Garret Nelson, who were both appointed in 2026 to fill Tilton and Rauscher’s House seats.
The organizing effort highlights how Democrats continue to frame education funding as a central political issue heading into the 2026 election cycle.
At the same time, Republicans maintain a massive voter-registration and turnout advantage in the borough, where conservative politics are deeply embedded culturally and electorally.
Even so, Democrats appear intent on contesting territory that many political observers would normally consider out of reach.
Candidate filing for Alaska state offices closes June 1 at 5 pm Alaska time through the Alaska Division of Election.
One thought on “Democrats launch full-court press into deep-red Mat-Su Valley ahead of filing deadline”
They will make their inroads here with RINOs, not Democrats, and the state Republican Party will let them.