Republicans received a much-needed boost after preliminary results suggest that the GOP might flip a competitive Anchorage Assembly seat in Alaska in a district that leaned heavily toward former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election. While there are still thousands of ballots yet to be counted as of this writing, the gap between candidates could narrow or grow even wider.
Democrats have been putting in a lot of work to target the state of Alaska as a potential state where they could see serious gains in this year’s midterm elections. However, the GOP picking up a seat in a district that leaned toward Harris could make that an unattainable goal. Based on early voting numbers, Republicans look poised to snatch a victory out of the hands of their Democrat opponents.
In the race for the Midtown District 4 Assembly seat, Republican candidate Dave Donley is holding a narrow lead over his Democratic opponent, Janice Park, based on preliminary results, which places the GOP in a position to possibly flip a seat in a blue district. It’s important to note that Alaska doesn’t publish presidential election results by Anchorage Assembly district, assessments of how Midtown voted are based on precinct-level returns rather than official district data.
According to Newsweek, the district Donley might flip for the Republican Party has been described as leaning toward Harris due to its overlap with portions of Midtown Anchorage, which have been consistently Democrat over the years, despite the state as a whole voting for GOP candidates. Unofficial tallies from the district show Donley with a 47.03% advantage over Democrat Janice Park, who is close behind at 45.72% of the vote.
Candidate Kim Winston is in third place with only 3.75% of the vote. Winston did not put a lot of time and effort into developing a high-profile campaign like the other candidates in the race. The Midtown District 4 race is catching the eye of the media due to other races in the cycle looking to go toward incumbents or candidates that are aligned with the existing majority.
As of April 7, 2026, a total of 42,094 ballots had been counted, which is roughly 17.9% of Anchorage’s 235,398 registered voters. Thousands of ballots have yet to be counted, with many more expected to arrive through the mail. Both political parties are examining how the outcome of the race might impact strategy in future Alaska contests that are connected to the midterm elections.
On an X post about the race, Democrats, clearly disturbed by the potential of losing a seat, even in a local race, posted comments to try and downplay the significance of the GOP flip. “Assembly District? This demonstrates the Republican Party’s level of desperation, as they are placing their hopes in an assembly seat,” one Democrat wrote.
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In response to that comment, a user reminded everyone that “every seat counts,” while another opted for more of a punch by replying, “Cry more, b***h.” Another individual noted that Donley flipping the seat was a good sign for the state. “That’s a good sign for Alaska. Even with super low turnout (~17-19%), Donley pulled it off.”
That's a good sign for Alaska. Even with super low turnout (~17-19%), Donley pulled it off.
— Reeds (@ScarletReeds) April 9, 2026