Why Alaska consistently defies national trends in presidential elections

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Alaska has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968, yet it remains a unique political landscape. While the state reliably delivers its three electoral votes to the GOP, it simultaneously serves as a stronghold for third-party candidates, often providing them with their highest vote shares in the entire country.

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Alaska with 51.28% of the vote, while Hillary Clinton received 36.55%. This result maintained the state's long-standing Republican streak, which has been unbroken since 1968. In fact, since Alaska was admitted to the Union in 1959, it has supported a Democratic candidate only once: Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. Despite this consistency, the 2016 race saw notable shifts at the local level, with Clinton flipping Haines Borough to the Democratic column for the first time since 1992.

Alaska's political character is defined by a distinct openness to third-party candidates. In 2016, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson secured 5.88% of the vote in the state. This performance was his third-strongest in the nation, trailing only New Mexico and North Dakota, and represented the best showing for a Libertarian candidate since 1980. This trend is not new; Alaska previously served as the strongest state for Ralph Nader in 2000 and the second-best state for Ross Perot in 1992. These results highlight a electorate that frequently looks beyond the two-party binary.

The 2016 election also featured internal friction within the Republican Party. During the Republican National Convention, the Alaska delegation attempted to report their floor votes based on caucus results—12 for Ted Cruz, 11 for Donald Trump, and 5 for Marco Rubio. However, the convention secretary recorded all of Alaska's votes for Trump. Despite a challenge from an Alaska delegate, RNC chair Reince Priebus upheld the decision, asserting that the delegates were bound to the nominee. Ultimately, all three of Alaska's electors cast their votes for the Trump-Pence ticket, cementing the state's role in the 2016 outcome.

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