President Donald Trump and some in his Cabinet in the last few weeks have rained promises down on Alaska: investments in a long-desired pipeline, millions for rural broadband and data center development. He even offered on-stage pardons for two auto mechanics who violated federal clean air regulations.
But Trump’s last minute promises might not be enough to turn out Republicans in a red state that’s emerged as a key battleground in the race to control the Senate. It’s yet another example of a traditional GOP stronghold that the Trump administration finds itself needing to defend.
Bringing that pipeline to fruition is the kind of talk that gets the attention of voters of every stripe, said Scott Kendall, a veteran political strategist and former chief of staff to Alaska Gov. Bill Walker, an independent. But people in Alaska have “fatigue,” he said, “because they've been promised the gas line generationally since the '80s.”
“It's a big story, it's important, people are talking about it,” Kendall said. “But I just don't know whose mind changes.”
Kendall was referring to a $50 billion LNG pipeline that Alaska has been trying to get moving since the administration of President Jimmy Carter. It’s supported by some 80 percent of citizens, but has been stymied for generations by the massive price tag of building through the vast, frozen Alaska wilderness.
Last month, Trump promised voters that the state was on track to land a $54 billion investment from the South Korean government for the pipeline. Then last week, Trump said the U.S. was on the verge of closing a majornew $80 billion deal with Taiwan on a new pipeline offtake deal, which would make the project more economically viable.
Republicans hope showing the Frontier state this kind of love will propel people to the voting booth in a race pitting incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan against former Rep. Mary Peltola — a contest seen as crucial to holding control of the Senate.
Kevin Greene, Alaska state director for the conservative group Americans for Prosperity, said no other president has focused so thoroughly on boosting Alaska — and voters know it.
“People are excited because obviously this state has been trying to get the [liquefied natural gas] pipeline for decades, and the state legislature and state government has not been able to get that done,” Greene said. “I think they're really excited that it feels like something is happening.”
The White House messaging about the Alaska pipeline project suggests it’s a done deal, one that could lower energy costs by $1,400 per household while bringing thousands of jobs to the state.
“President Trump has a proven record of securing historic investment, creating high-paying jobs, and bringing manufacturing back to the United States,” White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement. “On day one, the President promised to prioritize the development of the Alaska LNG pipeline, and now, thanks to his successful trade negotiations, he has secured historic investment from two of our great allies — South Korea and Taiwan — to get the project done.”
However, those promises were almost immediately called into question when the South Korean and Taiwanese governments put out statements that were far less definitive about those promised investments.
Then there are Trump’s other promises that have either been broken already or aren’t realistic — not just made to Alaska, but to every American. That includes promises of $5,000 checks that would require congressional approval, repeated assurances that the war in Iran would end soon and that all manner of prices would soon drop.
“Trump is being viewed by many voters as just another politician because most of his promises feel empty and don't come true,” said a longtime GOP communications operative, granted anonymity to speak candidly. “He lost a lot of credibility during the Iran War, promising that they had a deal, that the war would end quickly, that gas prices would go down. None of that's occurred. Promising voters $5,000 checks if they vote Republican feels extremely empty and even the MAGA base doesn't really believe it.”
Promising voters a major project that fails to materialize could leave some lasting damage for other Republicans in the electorate, said Brittany Martinez, a GOP strategist and a former staffer for Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Alaskan voters will remember unfilled pledges in the next election cycle, she said.
“If the 2026 midterms prove anything, it is that Americans remember,” she said, referring to voter anger over Trump’s promise to lower prices. “People will remember these kinds of things, especially if it is something that is supposed to lower costs or bring more jobs to your community or improve the quality of life of people who are your neighbors.”
Still, Alaska – which has historically depended greatly on federal largesse to function, especially when it comes to infrastructure such as roads and airports – has a long history of rewarding politicians who secure money for the state’s needs.
The late House Rep. Don Young, of “bridge to nowhere” fame, served for 49 years, a record. And his counterpart Sen. Ted Stevens, who defended attempts to strip that bridge of money by thundering on the Senate floor that he’d have to be “taken out on a stretcher” first, served 40.
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