Trump Campaigns in Alaska for Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan

WASILLA: It's a long way from Washington, has a small population and hasn't backed a Democrat for Senate in nearly 20 years. Yet President Donald Trump on Tuesday devoted a big chunk of his dwindling time ahead of crucial midterm elections to head to Alaska — attempting to bolster a Republican incumbent senator in another sign of GOP fears about retaining control of Congress after Election Day on Nov. 3. Trump headlined a rally for Sen. Dan Sullivan in Wasilla, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Anchorage — famous for being the hometown of former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and the headquarters of the Iditarod sled dog race across the state. Trump's stop is part of a western swing also taking him to rallies in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday. The president noted to the crowd that he had flown eight hours to rally for Sullivan, whom he called "one of the best and most respected senators in D.C." Sullivan, seeking a third term, faces Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman who is running to put "Alaska first" and emphasizing cost-of-living issues. During Tuesday's rally, Trump announced that Taiwan would purchase gas from a proposed mega-gas project that he has been highlighting amid Sullivan's campaign and that it would invest more than $4 billion. There was no immediate confirmation from Taiwan, the self-governing island that China claims as its own. The White House did not immediately provide further details. Trump also said the Federal Communications Commission would vote in the coming weeks on investing an additional $162 million in expanding high-speed internet access in Alaska. And he announced pardons for two men who had pleaded guilty in 2022 to Clean Air Act violations for tampering with federally mandated monitoring devices on certain vehicles.