Few Alaskans really believed in Trump from the beginning

Nothing in life is inevitable. Especially in politics. Republican Donald J. Trump’s victory in Alaska is no exception.

We were called a “state-in-play” by the national media during the contentious election, a state that might even be turning purple. Both of our U.S. Senators dumped Trump publicly, and big time, only weeks before the election. z, it was Senator Ted Cruz who beat Trump in our primary out of a field of seventeen. Since day one of his candidacy, June 16, 2015, Trump had to face downright laughable skepticism.

Later that same June, when doubt was a mile thick, one person on the public stage here in Alaska started to hammer down a huge Trump sign, figuratively, in print and on the airwaves.

Tom Anderson, a former state representative (R- East Anchorage) in the Alaska Legislature, and now host of a popular morning radio talk-show on KOAN “Fox News” in Anchorage and KVNT 1020 AM in the Valley, began to dialogue on the real possibility of Trump winning.

Tom’s public relations firm also launched the “Alaskans for Trump” Facebook page and grew it to several thousand followers. Then over those initial months, he wrote several national articles endorsing Trump, one entitled “Generation Trump,” that was picked up by Washington DC’s “The Hill” and invoked almost 18,000 likes through social media.

Despite Tom’s efforts, even though Cruz, Rubio, Carson and other presidential candidates had built their campaign infrastructure in the state, a formal Trump organization did not form in Alaska until April of 2016, toward the final stages of that long primary. Trump’s national team was apparently holding off.

Instead of waiting for everything to finalize, Anderson, who had offered his assistance to the Trump movement at its genesis, contacted friends Todd and Sarah Palin. “They knew I was interested in helping the Trump effort, and I asked them to see who they might know as a contact for the burgeoning Trump organization.”

By the early spring of 2016, with delegates piling up and momentum on their side, Donald Trump’s campaign organization opted to finally open shop in Alaska and appoint an advisory organization.

Tom then contacted Crawford, a longtime friend, who recruited him to gather honorary co-chairs willing to place their name in support of Alaskans for Donald Trump for President. He built an array of supporters, from former Lt. Governors Mead Treadwell and Loren Leman, to former Anchorage Mayor Rick Mystrom. It included sitting state legislators like Senators John Coghill, Charlie Huggins and Lesil McGuire and even Speaker of the House Mike Chenault.

Former Alaska State Senator Jerry Ward was named state director of Alaska’s Trump organization, and realtor and former Alaska Republican Party Chairman Jim Crawford was named its chairman. After Trump solidified his primary win nationally, many other prominent Alaskans joined Alaska’s Team Trump.

Even still. Trump was not always an easy name to mention with positive energy in Alaska in all Republican circles. Tom Anderson, nevertheless, sounded the trumpet from the beginning. Maybe he knew. Maybe he just believed. Maybe he was one harbinger Alaskans needed to spur the state that teetered.

Fast-forward to today. Trump has won. And in Alaska, handily. But it wasn’t inevitable.