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*It was a Kirkland-sized turnout at Midtown Mall in Anchorage on Sunday, where the line of voters stretched down the hall and out the door.*

Good Monday morning!

The finish line is in sight. Alaska’s primary election ends Tuesday at 8 pm, but tens of thousands of Alaskans have cast early ballots, and there’s time to vote early today. Grab your coffee — we’ve got a lot to catch up on before Alaska votes. ~ Suzanne

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🎙️ Top stories

🗳️ More than 24,000 ballots already in ahead of Tuesday’s primary. Who is voting? → Read more.

Check The Alaska Story Facebook page on Election night for live coverage as results come in. I will be live-streaming with former Lt. Gov. Craig Campbell.

Note: Look for an Extra newsletter Tuesday morning, because … well, lots to report!

🌪️Mayhem Mary: Peltola loses longtime campaign manager. → Read more.

Also today…

🗳️ Still haven’t voted? Early voting continues today. → Read more.

Update: Rain is steady in Anchorage, may dampen some early turnout. But voting is taking place at Midtown Mall (old Sears Mall). The line is going to be mainly indoors.

Airtag sting: Seward citizen tracks stolen Sullivan campaign sign, after city officials single him out over political display. This is hilarious! → Read more.

🇺🇸 US Chamber of Commerce backs the Real Dan S. Sullivan. → Read more.

🪖 Rep. Jamie Allard: Tlingit Code Talkers helped America win. → Read more.

📍Where are the early vote coming from? We have a map showing that Southeast Alaska is coming on strong with their ballots. → Read more.

👨‍👧‍👦 Adam Crum: Alaska needs strong fathers. Families need men who show up. → Read more.

🥸 Decoy Dan admits he may quit if he makes the final four. → Read more.

🚨 Trump warns Alaska voters: “Don’t be fooled” by Decoy Dan. → Read more.

💰 The Alaska Story Investigation: Did Treg Taylor massively violate Alaska campaign finance law? → Read more.

✍️ David Ignell writes about how Bernadette Wilson has the qualities of leadership that he looks for. Read more.

✈️ Mendenhall floodwaters claim an unlikely victim: An Alaska Seaplanes Beaver. → Read more.

👀 The Alaska Story Investigation: APOC delay lets Louise Stutes keep her mystery donors hidden until after the primary. → Read more.

📚 Alaska history: Will Rogers and Wiley Post died in an Arctic plane crash 91 years ago. → Read more.

💻 Busted? New APOC complaint questions Chris Constant’s post-election spending spree on tablets, equipment, software. → Read more.

🎆 Houston Founders Day: Dirt bikes, Carhartts, kids, burgers and fireworks — small-town Alaska at its best. → Read more.

⚖️ No body, a stolen identity and a bizarre Fairbanks homicide: Aaron Hague gets 26 years. → Read more.

🚢 China sends more ships through Alaska’s Bering Strait as Beijing builds its Arctic Silk Road. → Read more.

💊 April Smith: No, HB 195 does not authorize Alaska pharmacists to perform abortions or prescribe abortion-inducing drugs. → Read more.

🥶 NOAA puts its annual Arctic Report Card on ice. → Read more.

Suzanne’s notebook:

Latest polling: Alaska Survey Research (August 2–5, 2026; 1,371 LV, ±3.0%): Peltola 51%, Sullivan 49%.

High undecideds in governor’s race: Change Research (July 17–19, 2026): 27% undecided (with Tom Begich at 17%, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins at 15%, Bernadette Wilson at 14%). This is due to the extremely crowded field of candidates, many of whom will be in the low single-digits at the end of the day on Tuesday.

Latest on the prediction market…

Today’s Number

29.7 million

Approximate number of sockeyes harvested commercially in Bristol Bay this season.

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Quote of the Day

“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who don’t vote.”

— George Jean Nathan

Today’s meme:

Oil out, money in

Alaska North Slope crude: ~$86.78/barrel / 467,233 barrels/day

Alaska Permanent Fund balance: Aug. 12: $92,167,300,000

Thanks for spending a few minutes with me this morning. If a friend forwarded this newsletter to you, I’d love to have you join us as a subscriber. Have a wonderful Alaska week. I'll see you back here Monday morning.

~ Suzanne

The Alaska Story is independent, Alaska-based and covers the stories legacy media misses and the angles the mainstream sheeporters won’t cover.

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Monday News Brief: They are lining up to vote in droves. Are you going to vote, too?