By SUZANNE DOWNING
Sept. 25, 2026 – For weeks, I’ve been sounding the alarm about “rank the red.” It may make perfect sense inside a room full of Republican activists. But Alaska’s election will not be decided inside that room.
We have nearly 300,000 voters registered as undeclared, more than 82,000 registered as nonpartisan, and about 6,000 Libertarians. Compare that with roughly 142,000 registered Republicans. Party registration does not tell us how any of those Alaskans will vote, but it should tell every campaign something about the audience it needs to reach.
“Rank the red” speaks to the party faithful. It asks everyone else to adopt a party identity before they have even considered the candidates.
Now look at the graphic circulating for Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Its headline is “Rank Alaska, Not a Party.” It shows a sign pointing one way toward the Republican Party and another toward Alaska. On the sample ballot, JKT gets the first ranking. At the bottom: “It’s about Alaska — not politics.”
That is some pretty sharp messaging. It takes the Republicans’ own ranking theme and turns it into an argument against Republicans, and it’s aimed at voters who don’t belong to either major party.
Now, I disagree with the conclusion the graphic wants them to reach. I can still recognize a message built for the people who will decide this election.
Republicans have been here before. “Rank the red” was the rallying cry in 2022, and it did not deliver the outcome its advocates wanted. I have written about this extensively. In 2024, the message shifted toward consolidation. Nick Begich won Alaska’s US House seat because Nancy Dahlstrom graciously withdrew, leaving a clear path.
Those two elections involved different candidates and different circumstances, but the lesson should have stuck. The Democrats did learn from the Republicans: They got Tom Begich out of the race so they could consolidate.
For Republicans, after this year’s primary, “rank the red” came roaring back across social media.
Republican influencers repeated it as though the words alone could solve the problem of multiple Republican candidates on the general-election ballot. But only for the governor’s race, mind you, not the other ones.
They cannot convince anyone but the already convinced. They cannot convince the confused — and there are many of those out there.
Bernadette Wilson led the Republican field in a crowded primary — there were 12 Republicans. Dave Bronson and Treg Taylor, who finished fourth and fifth behind her, remained in the contest rather than uniting behind her. That is their (unfortunate) choice,; I’ve criticized that decision in previous columns. It leaves Republicans with a harder job: explaining three candidacies and a ranking strategy to voters who may have little patience for either.
Some Republicans are now moving toward “Rank all three or get JKT.” It’s a new slogan.
At least that tells voters what those Republicans believe is at stake. But it is still a message about ballot mechanics. Democrats have put forward a message about Alaska.
One side is asking voters to work through a party’s predicament. The other is telling them they can put the state first. Never mind that the graphic then directs them to rank the Democrat first and only. As campaign messaging, it meets voters where many of them already are.
Republican activists should be willing to hear this without taking offense. An undeclared voter is not a Republican who forgot to fill out a form. A nonpartisan voter may share conservative views on taxes, energy or public safety and still have no interest in taking instructions from a party slogan. In Alaska, the nonpartisans tend to lean left. Those voters deserve an argument about the future of Alaska, not just a mnemonic for filling in ovals.
This is a column about messaging because messaging is how campaigns reveal whom they think they are talking to. Right now, the Democrats’ graphic speaks to the broad electorate. Too much Republican messaging still sounds like Republicans talking to their own bubble.
As of Sept. 25, there are 39 days until the Nov. 3 general election. Early and absentee in-person voting begins Oct. 19, just 24 days away. Division of Elections That is a short time to make a case to hundreds of thousands of Alaskans outside the Republican registration column.
The Democrats understood the assignment. Republicans still have time to show that they do, too.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of The Alaska Story and is a longtime Alaska who is former communications director for the Alaska Republican Party.
19 thoughts on “Democrats understood the assignment on ranked choice. Republicans are still arguing over the slogan”
The polls show this is very close. MAGA’s need to flood their candidates with whatever funds they have available. All hands on deck! You don’t need that savings for the kids college or grandchildren. Just throw it all to the superpacs. Tommy Tuberville is amongst the wisest on the right and he is warning you about the furries and the litter boxes in the schools. Trump has been reminding us all that gasoline prices are falling quickly along with grocery costs. So what are you saving that money for? Ken Paxton is one of those fine Republican candidates in a close race. Throw some cash his way!
JKT voted to have state income taxes! That knowledge would open many eyes!
Tundrab, JKT is a slick shyster just like Newscum in California. His ads are equally slick. Most voters likely do not know his voting history much less his homosexuality and association with Anthropic millionaire/billionaire donors. Near as I can determine we are not getting hammered with daily mailings showing voters this information and explaining why JKT would be a disaster for Alaska. Why is that?
JKT is a boy in a dress. He’s being propped up by the LGBTQ/DEI communities as some kind of saint. He talks, walks, acts, and has all the other mannerisms of a faggot. He will spend Alaska money on transgender operations for children and encourage trans men in women’s sports, locker rooms and bathrooms. He will turn Alaska upside down. Moral foundations be damned. This queer wants total chaos and disruption in our lives. This is homosexual revenge against the straight population. It’s been in the works for years, and now it’s here.
WilliamM, Colorado learned this the hard way by giving Jared Polis two terms as governor. He campaigned the same way as JKT: hide the homosexuality by posing with women everywhere, do not show the partner on camera, pretend to be a moderate Democrat/Libertarian, have billionaire Alphabet Mafia donors, and pretend to care about the state. Now Polis will be leaving and the state as gone further down the leftist run toilet after his two terms.
73.3 % of eligible voters did not vote in the primary, And here’s another thing, of the Candidates that were dropped, who would have gotten the hypothetical 2nd choice from those voters? Many of us didn’t vote in the primaries that will vote in the general election and to disenfranchise those voters choice in the general by only ranking one candidate would be unfair not only to the voters, but also Bronson and Taylor who in my opinion would be the best conservative choice with some punching power given they’re age, knowledge and experience.
Summarize; 1)Bronson, 2)Taylor, 3)Wilson.
Third gen, listen up Sonny, your list is inverted, Bronson got his ass kicked by the Anchorage Ass embly, hard fast and often. I wanted my campaign donations back after watching his administration.
But since we need to circle the wagons here i offer the below.
This is the list to follow.
Bernadette-1
Taylor-2
Dave B…-3
Fixed it for ya.
You’re welcome
Rank the state, not the party? That’s a joke coming from Democrats. It’s always about the party to the Democrats. They just have a difficult time concealing the truth. Their truth is different from the actual truth. That’s why many Democrats now hide behind “Independent” status. The woke radical Democrat party is not appealing to the majority of Alaskans. This is a fantastic article, Suzanne. Thank you. But will it wake up conservatives? Sleeping at the switch will get us an LGBTQ/DEI dictatorship.
That is very true. But. The unread and illiterate voter doesn’t see through the deception. They just see someone who is for any Alaskan and for Alaska. Unfortunately Alaska been ranking 49th in how far behind Alaskan k-12 students are behind their peers from other states. To which GenZ, millennials, GenX, and boomers have grown up and most still are not at proficiency level in language arts and math. The Simple takes things at face value.
The path the Democrats are going down. The simple will observe in fear and concern why tomorrow they have less freedom, more expenses, working longer hours and lesser money, and people are less helpful or less caring; that comes about through any Marxist/communist governance.
The AKGOP staff and leaders THINK that. Having more registered republicans in the state and having multiple Republicans running for the same office, That they still will beat the Democrat between their three or two that it’ll all pan out in the Republicans favor.
Thats been the AkGOP strategy before August 18. It looks like it’s still their strategy, despite not taking a hint that out of all thirteen only two made the top four and trailed behind quite a bit (by thousands of voters) behind JKT and Tom Begich,
Alaska is not Red. The AkGOP doesn’t have the benefit of 90% ‘majority of voters would vote for a Republican candidates despite whatever order they place the candidates.
Where does the lack of leadership on the Right put the Right’s voters, what to do. We rank the Red BUT we got to follow the Probability and most likely how most Republican voters will rank the Republicans in their PRIMARY ORDER: Wilson, Bronson, and Taylor unless Bronson and Taylor have a sudden change of heart to suspend and strong urge their supporters to vote for Wilson for the good of a Republican governance and slowing our state down descending down to Marxism and communist governance
But also I’m a realist. Likely Republican candidate voters will most likely be split by thirds on How they rank Wilson, Bronson, and Taylor while those likely voting for the Democrat will be strongly unified behind JKT as their first choice.
The Democrats are following how Dunleavy won the 50plus1 percent because Republicans were unified.
I see that JKT stands a very good chance becoming Alaska’s next Governor joining into Alaska’s history of Governors because likely Republican voters are not unified and lacked their leadership and lacking the intelligence and wisdom how we should vote.
But. You know what!!!!!
For myself and the little -C-hurch of Christ living on Alaska, if JKT is going to be Alaska’s next Governor because of better imaginative campaigning and unified messaging, my hope will not be weakened nor gone. Because my hope is not in the AKGOP, likeminded votes sharing the same opinion as me, nor in a Republican candidate. I would like to see a Republican elected to Governor in Jan2027. If not. I’ll be okay because of God. God has always had my back! @ForrestFrank.
difficulty strengthens Faith in God. I can already feel my strength growing stronger, my joy lasting longer when I’m under persecuted. My patience lengthening longer being around liberals, democrats, bigots, and people stupid for lack of good education,
It’s Alaskans without Christ that worries me. I’m praying for all my Alaskan neighbors (without Christ) who have eyes open to what path Democrats through JKT as Governor will continue.that they don’t lose hope but to find new Hope in Jesus the next four years after Jan 2027.
Because life isn’t over until God says it’s over whenever His Son parts the Eastern skies and descends upon Earth from Heaven.
Tina,
Sure, you’ll be ok if the godless commies prevail, you got your salvation, great, I get that.
But hey sister, its not about you, its about the children now and those yet unborn. Its about the future of western civilization. Its about last stands against those who will wreak total destruction upon our Constitution and Liberties.
The stakes are very high.
This commie Party isn’t the Denocrats of my youth and people better damn well wake the Flub Up!
Suzanne, I’d agree that that’s a pretty slick campaign ad, and that JKT has very good campaign management, but seriously, what is your point? That we’d have a better chance of not getting JKT for governor if Wilson, Bronson and Taylor all hurry up and turn out some warm, fuzzy, non-partisan messaging? “In Alaska, the nonpartisans tend to lean left”. I’d say that’s true for candidates, but definitely NOT for voters. I’ll take this moment to point out that Wilson, Bronson and Taylor are ALL Republicans. “But it is still a message about ballot mechanics.” Well, no kidding. IT HAS TO BE! JKT could put out an ad promising socialism and taxes, and he’d still pick up the same votes from the same lefties, except for those three nonpartisans who were on the fence about him. RCV is an absolute goat rope. I’m not saying that R candidates wouldn’t benefit from better campaign ads, but now is not the time to hesitate about this. Rank the red in primary order is the only plan that can win.
I disagree that Rank the Red “speaks to the party faithful.”
Im not a registered Republican, and I criticize them more than I praise them because they’re a disorganized mess. But I am conservative and I recognize that, given the current status of an RCV election and three Republicans in the lineup, “Rank all Three, not JKT” is the best slogan worth following when I head to ballot box.
I often tell my daughter not to stamp her feet and release the water works when she doesn’t get what she wants. It’s time for Bernadette to accept the field she’s standing in and pivot.
NAM, it all makes sense except for the last sentence. What, exactly would the top vote-getter in the primary do to”accept the field she’s standing in”. You mean join Bronson and Taylor in the “rank all” messaging, or what?
Yes.
For those that claim no on 2, where they say it will stop the “Dark” monies, please show me, in the 24 page ballot measure 2, where it states this?
It does not, it is all about RCV (rotten choice the votes)
Here is the ballot measure in FULL, from the Alaska elections website.
VOTE YES ON 2, RCV needs to go away!!!
https://www.elections.alaska.gov/doc/oep/2024/Ballot%20Measure%202_Eng.pdf
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