Trump backs Wilson in Alaska, but votes for rivals can transfer to her

Donald Trump has endorsed Bernadette Wilson for Alaska governor and urged Republicans to unite behind her, saying she has “by far, the best chance of winning” and that her Republican rivals will only take votes from her. But Alaska’s ranked-choice rules allow ballots cast first for a rival to transfer to Wilson, so competing candidacies do not necessarily mean permanently lost votes.

The 13 October 2026 Truth Social post is preserved by the Trump’s Truth archive. The endorsement came hours before Trump’s planned rally in Wasilla, according to Alaska’s News Source.

The 3 November election will choose a successor to Governor Mike Dunleavy, who cannot seek a third consecutive term. Wilson faces fellow Republicans Dave Bronson, a former Anchorage mayor, and Treg Taylor, a former state attorney general, alongside Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins.

Wilson finished third overall and first among Republicans in the 18 August primary, with a reported 10% of the vote. Alaska Beacon reported Kreiss-Tomkins first on 22.5%, Democrat Tom Begich second on 20.8%, and Bronson just behind Wilson on 8.1%. These were shares of the whole governor’s contest, not a separate Republican primary.

In the archived endorsement, Donald J. Trump wrote that Wilson “easily won the Race”. A separate archived post earlier that day specified that she had beaten the other two Republican candidates. She did lead the Republican field, but Alaska’s open primary advances four finalists regardless of party; it does not select one exclusive Republican nominee.

Begich’s subsequent withdrawal, confirmed to the Associated Press by the Division of Elections, allowed fifth-placed Taylor to move into the top four. AP also reported that Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom temporarily disqualified Taylor following a campaign-finance commission recommendation concerning financial disclosures. Alaska Beacon later reported that Dahlstrom reversed the decision and Taylor was back on the ballot.

When votes transfer

In November, voters can rank the candidates. When a candidate is eliminated during the count, ballots counting for them move to the next-ranked candidate still in the race, or become inactive and count for nobody. A first preference for Bronson or Taylor can therefore later count for Wilson, provided she remains in contention and is the ballot’s next-ranked continuing candidate.

Voters are not obliged to rank Wilson, however. Alaska Public Media’s 22 September report on an AARP-sponsored poll of 800 likely voters put Kreiss-Tomkins at 40% of first preferences and ten percentage points ahead of Wilson in a simulated final round. The report attributed much of that gap to Republican voters declining to rank her.

The final tally excluded the 18% who were initially undecided. Pollster Bob Ward told the broadcaster those voters “lean considerably to the right”. The simulation illustrates a transfer risk, but does not measure how either Republican rival’s withdrawal would change Wilson’s chances.