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Trump rally puts Wasilla in national campaign spotlight
President’s rally in the bedroom community north of Anchorage is a sign of Alaska’s importance in the fight for US Senate control
By Yereth Rosen
Alaska Beacon
The bedroom community made famous during former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s 2008 vice presidential run took center stage on Monday in the national fight for control of Congress.
President Donald Trump came to Wasilla to campaign for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican facing a stiff challenge from former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat. The outcome could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.
The venue for Trump’s campaign rally, which followed a similar rally last week in Fairbanks that was headlined by Vice President JD Vance, was the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center. The facility can hold up to 5,000 people.
For Wasilla, a city of 10,000 people located about 40 miles north of Anchorage, the presidential visit was a major event that spurred coordinated preparations.
The Wasilla Police Department and Alaska State Troopers cautioned residents and motorists about road closures and limited pedestrian access around the Menard Center, likely traffic delays around the city, heightened law-enforcement presence and other possible inconveniences.
“We appreciate the public’s patience and cooperation as we work to ensure a safe event,” the troopers said in a statement.
As of midafternoon Monday, traffic was moving normally in Wasilla, despite the presidential visit.
Ticketed attendees were directed to park at the Church on the Rock, a large house of worship north of the Menard Center on the George Parks Highway, the main thoroughfare through Wasilla. The church served as a shuttle stop for attendees, though many wound up parking along the roads near the sports arena and walking to the rally.
Particularly happy with Trump’s visit was Republican gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson, who won the president’s endorsement on Tuesday.
“Thank you President Donald J. Trump! I am incredibly honored to have your support and look forward to partnering with your Administration to bring lasting prosperity to Alaska! Alaska conservatives are united to win this race!” she said on her Facebook page.
South of the Menard Center, the overwhelming evidence along the Parks Highway of Trump’s presence in town came in the form of protests.
Two progressive groups, Mat-Su United for Progress and Stand Up Alaska, staged the major protest in town, an event at Newcomb Park that drew hundreds of sign-waving critics of Trump, Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, R-Alaska, another incumbent up for reelection.
Nearby, The Alaska Democratic Party, which held a news conference in the park at shoreline of Wasilla Lake, delivered a similar critical message, complete with cardboard cutouts of Sullivan and other props.
Eric Croft, chair of the state Democratic party, said Trump’s visit is a sign of that the Republican incumbents are fearing defeat.
“We’re here today because in 23 short days, we’re going to be voting both Nick Begich and Dan Sullivan out of office, and they richly deserve it,” Croft said at the news conference. “They are self-serving, self-dealing DC politicians who’ve repeatedly voted to make life harder. It’s this record that’s going to cost them in November, and it’s this record that’s made them deeply unpopular in Alaska, so unpopular that they had to call Daddy and ask for reinforcements.”
In the Aug. 18 primary election, an open, nonpartisan contest in Alaska, Peltola got 49.5% of the vote, while Sullivan received 41.4%. In the U.S. House race, Begich took 44.6% to 32.5% for independent Bill Hill.
Croft said Wasilla was probably selected deliberately for the rally because it is one of the most conservative spots in Alaska. He called that choice a sign of desperation.
Prior to the Wasilla protest, Hill, Begich’s main challenger, headlined a morning rally on the Delany Park Strip in downtown Anchorage. At the “Gas Prices are Too Damn High” rally, Hill and others repeatedly spoke about the effects of high fuel prices in Alaska.
In a brief interview, Hill referred to the Trump and Vance rallies, as well as an August visit to Alaska by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana.
“They’re here because they’re worried about losing this seat, and that they’re frightened,” he said. “They’re pulling out all the stops.”
Trump’s approval rate is cratering, according to national polls. That is the case even in Alaska, according to recent results from Alaska Survey Research. But he still has support in Wasilla.
That was evident even before dawn, said Crystal Howard, a healthcare provider who works night shifts. Howard said she saw several campers and cars parked at Church of the Rock at 3:45 a.m., several hours before the first shuttle buses were available to take attendees to the Menard Center.
Howard was not among the Trump fans. Instead, she swapped a work shift so that she could attend the anti-Trump rally at Newcomb Park.
“I don’t know what prompted Trump to come up here, if he was asked or if he volunteered. That would be interesting to note,” she said.
• Yereth Rosen came to Alaska in 1987 to work for the Anchorage Times. She has been reporting on Alaska news ever since, covering stories ranging from oil spills to sled-dog races. She has reported for Reuters, for the Alaska Dispatch News, for Arctic Today and for other organizations. Alaska Beacon is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
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