Trump vowed to lower gas prices. His backers in Alaska are not buying it.

Gas costs more than $5 a gallon on average across Alaska, and diesel reached its highest recorded price in September, which is souring some of the president's past supporters in a state he has carried comfortably three times. MS NOW spoke with Trump voters in Anchorage and elsewhere as the first stop in a series checking his promises. The strain is also giving Democrats hope that former Rep. Mary Peltola can defeat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in November.

Voters described cutting back on groceries, entertainment and travel. Gayle Michaelson, a paralegal, said she would tell the president that his early assurances on prices were false. Trucker Meffy Tagalu said owner-operators cannot afford diesel, blamed the war with Iran, and urged Trump to end it. Trucking and fishing, both pillars of the state's economy, are especially exposed to diesel swings.

Peltola finished about 8 points ahead of Sullivan in August's open primary. Sullivan had won his 2020 race by more than 12 points over Al Gross. Even so, several disillusioned Trump voters say they are sticking with Sullivan.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →