Upper Susitna Valley Precincts Split Along Party Lines in Races

Talkeetna and Trapper Creek voters split along party lines in statewide and district races, according to unofficial election results data released by the Alaska Division of Elections.

While mail-in ballots continue to trickle in across the region, early precinct data highlights a clear geographical divide in the Upper Susitna Valley. Voters in Talkeetna backed Democratic candidates by wide margins, whereas Trapper Creek, Willow, and Susitna precincts heavily favored Republican contenders.

In the U.S. Senate race, over 60 percent of Talkeetna residents cast their ballots for Democrat Mary Peltola. Just down the road, however, the Trapper Creek precinct went overwhelmingly for Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan, with over 70 percent of the vote. Both the Willow and Susitna precincts mirrored those results, showing a strong, consistent lean toward Sullivan.

The pattern repeated itself in the race for U.S. Representative. Talkeetna stood alone among the four precincts in supporting nonpartisan candidate Bill Hill, capturing nearly 55 percent of the local vote. Meanwhile, Trapper Creek, Willow, and Susitna delivered solid majorities for Republican Nick Begich.

Voters also diverged sharply in the gubernatorial contest. More than 60 percent of Talkeetna residents backed Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. Over in Trapper Creek, Susitna, and Willow, Republican Bernadette Wilson pulled in more than 45 percent of the vote.

For House District 30, Talkeetna residents backed local Democrat Sandra Loomis, giving her 63 percent of the vote. Republican Kevin McCabe secured a slim margin of first-choice votes in the Trapper Creek and Susitna precincts, while Republican Doug Massie claimed top votes in Willow.

Down-ballot legislative races showed a similar patchwork across the valley. Talkeetna residents cast the majority of their votes for Democrat Peter Bauer in the Senate District O race. Trapper Creek voters leaned toward Republican George Rauscher, while both the Susitna and Willow precincts gave a majority of their votes to local Republican Ryan Sheldon.

The state has until November 18th as the final cutoff to receive mailed ballots. Once that deadline passes, election officials can begin conducting final ranked-choice tabulations and officially certify the results.