By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 8, 2026 — It’s a first for Alaska: President Donald Trump is returning, this time for a rally in Wasilla on behalf of US Sen. Dan S. Sullivan’s reelection campaign.
Trump is scheduled to speak Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 3:30 pm at the Menard Sports Center. Doors open at noon, according to event details announced by the Republican National Committee. The weather is expected to be mild, with no snow in the forecast and temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s. The line to get into the venue is expected to be long; the Menard Center seats up to 3,500 people, providing a substantial indoor venue in the heart of the Mat-Su Valley.
The presidential visit follows Vice President JD Vance’s appearance in Fairbanks on Monday, where he rallied supporters for Sullivan at an airport hangar. The two visits, just eight days apart, reveal the national importance Republicans are placing on retaining Alaska’s Senate seat.
Sen. Sullivan, who is seeking a third term, faces former Rep. Mary Peltola in one of the country’s closely watched Senate contests. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, putting Alaska among the states that could help determine control of the Senate after the Nov. 3 election. If the House and Senate flip to Democrat control, another impeachment of the president is expected.
Alaska has reliably supported Republican presidential candidates. Trump carried the state by approximately 13 percentage points in 2024, the same election in which Republican Nick Begich defeated Peltola for Alaska’s only US House seat.
At Monday’s Fairbanks rally, Vance urged Alaskans to return Sullivan to Washington and portrayed the state as a critical line of defense for Republicans in the midterm elections.
“The Democrats are obsessed with this state this cycle,” Vance told the crowd.
Energy development and Alaska’s economic future were prominent themes during the vice president’s visit. Vance announced federal support for the Alaska Railbelt Transmission Project, including $150 million toward a roughly $400 million effort to expand transmission infrastructure. The project would add more than 200 miles of transmission lines to strengthen the grid serving much of Alaska’s population.
Trump’s upcoming appearance will bring the campaign to Southcentral Alaska, giving Sullivan another opportunity to rally supporters as the election approaches.
The president previously held a major Alaska campaign rally at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage on July 9, 2022. This time, the venue is Wasilla, and the Senate seat at stake is Sullivan’s.
One thought on “Trump coming to Wasilla Oct. 13 to rally for Dan Sullivan”
Keep a watchful eye on Murky. She suffers from a serious case of TDS.