Alaska Emerges as a Battleground State... Public Remains Cool Despite 'LNG Investment' Announcement [U.S. Midterm Elections Through the Battleground States (3)]

Alaska, a Republican stronghold in U.S. politics for more than half a century, is looking in a different direction ahead of the midterm elections in November. President Donald Trump has sought to win over Alaska voters by securing an investment worth tens of billions of dollars from South Korea, but the local response has remained lukewarm.
■ Democrats Gain Ground... Classified as a 'Swing State'
Alaska will elect one senator, one representative and one governor in the midterm elections on Nov. 3 local time. In the Senate race, incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan is competing against Democratic candidate Mary Peltola for a third term. In the House race, incumbent Republican Nick Begich is running against Democratic candidate Eric Hafner and independent candidate Bill Hill. In the gubernatorial race, incumbent Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy faces term limits and is unlikely to seek another term, leaving Republican candidate Bernadette Wilson to compete against Democrat Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins.
Since becoming the 49th U.S. state in 1959, Alaska has voted for Republican presidential candidates in every election except one—in 1964, when it backed Lyndon B. Johnson. Alaska has not elected a Democratic governor since 2002. However, U.S. media outlets have classified Alaska as a swing state in this year's midterm elections.
According to opinion polls, the two Senate candidates were tied at 47% each in a survey conducted from the 28th to the 30th of last month. In the House race, a poll conducted from the 8th to the 11th of last month showed Republican Begich with 57% support, 14 percentage points ahead of independent Bill Hill rather than the Democratic candidate who was running while incarcerated. In the gubernatorial race, Democrat Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins had 55% support from the 8th to the 11th of last month, leading Republican Wilson by 10 percentage points.
According to a poll conducted by Navigator Research from Aug. 18 to 29, 59% of Alaska voters said they did not support the Trump administration's economic policies. In addition, 48% of respondents said the Trump administration and the Republican Party were responsible for local inflation. U.S. media outlets have pointed out that dissatisfaction with rising oil prices and inflation has grown in Alaska since the start of Trump's second administration. At the same time, Alaska Natives, who account for approximately 51.5% of local residents, believe their living conditions have worsened because of the federal government's aggressive approval of resource development projects and the removal of environmental protections on public lands.
■ Anxiety Outweighs Expectations Over South Korean LNG Investment
Local politicians welcomed the Trump administration's announcement on the 30th of last month that it had secured investment for the Alaska gas pipeline project, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) pipeline project. However, Cathy Giessel, the Republican majority leader in the state Senate, told local outlet KTUU-TV, "The announcement itself contains almost no details." She added, "If a foreign country invests $54 billion (approximately 72 trillion won), that means it will take a stake in the gas pipeline." Referring to the state government's 25% stake in the pipeline project, Giessel warned, "Does the state government still own 25%? We may have to buy our own natural gas, produced on our own land, from Korea."
Alaska media outlets reported in real time on the 1st that South Korea's Ministry of Trade and Industry had announced it had not finalized its investment in the gas pipeline. In response, Senate Majority PAC, a political action committee (PAC) supporting Democrat Mary Peltola, issued a statement condemning the Trump administration's investment announcement as a "gigantic lie."
Larry Persily, who served as coordinator of the Alaska LNG pipeline project during the Barack Obama administration, told ADN on the 2nd that Trump's announcement was merely a political effort to help Sullivan in the Senate race. He said that no South Korean officials were present at the White House announcement on the 30th of last month, adding, "If they had really written a $54 billion check, they would have been there too."
Pipeline officials also pointed out that amending the law was more urgent than securing investment from South Korea. Alaska currently imposes a property tax equivalent to 2% of the annual asset value of oil and gas facilities. Glenfarne Group, a U.S. energy company that holds a 75% stake in the pipeline project, has repeatedly asked the state government to defer property taxes on the pipeline until the project begins generating revenue. However, the request has repeatedly been blocked by the state legislature. Glenfarne Group maintains that construction will be difficult even to begin unless the property tax issue is resolved. Democratic candidate Jonathan S. Kreiss-Tomkins, who is widely expected to win the next gubernatorial election, has pledged to strengthen corporate taxation to secure state government revenue.
In a report on the 2nd, U.S. political outlet Politico argued that although President Trump has announced major regional projects—including the Alaska gas pipeline and a steel mill in the State of Iowa—it would be difficult to reverse the course of the midterm elections. The outlet noted that the Trump administration's construction projects would not become operational until 2030 at the earliest.
Luke Matz, a Republican strategist in the State of Iowa, said, "Whether it is Alaska's new oil pipeline or the State of Iowa's steel mill, these are fantastic projects, but time is tight to use them politically."
[email protected] Park Jong-won Reporter