By Zack Gottshall
Editor’s note: This op-ed was updated on 3/14/26 to reflect Zack Gottshall’s decision to attend the 2026 Alaska GOP Convention. Zack Gottshall, who is running for Chair, hopes to resolve the persistent issues which exist within the Party.
As the Alaska Republican Party prepares for its next State Convention, many grassroots Republicans are talking about something other than platform debates or the direction of the party. Instead, the conversation has increasingly turned to the cost of attending.
A State Convention should be about participation and representation within the party—not about pricing out the very grassroots activists who keep the party alive. Yet the looming cost of attending the next convention suggests that the priority remains fundraising over accessibility.
This concern is not new. In September 2024, I prepared and submitted the 2024 ARP Biennial Convention After Action Report to the Party Chair. The report summarized attendee feedback following the convention, and one issue came up repeatedly: the cost of registration. Several respondents specifically referenced the $275–$375 ticket price as being too high and noted that it discouraged participation. Others went further, stating that convention registration should not be used as a fundraising tool because it limits access for everyday Republicans.
Given that these concerns were formally documented and presented to party leadership in 2024, it would be reasonable to expect that pricing for the next convention would reflect those lessons. Unfortunately, that does not appear to be the case.
The venue comparison makes the situation even harder to explain. The 2024 State Convention was held at the Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage—a beautiful and historic hotel widely considered one of the premier venues in the state. The 2026 convention, however, is scheduled to be held at the Soldotna Field House, a 54,000-square-foot athletic and community facility. Despite the obvious difference between a premier hotel venue and a public athletic facility, ticket prices for the 2026 convention show no meaningful reduction from the 2024 pricing structure. If the venue costs are lower, many grassroots Republicans are asking why the ticket prices remain nearly the same.
The contrast becomes even clearer when Alaska is compared to other Republican state conventions. Larger state parties charge far less for attendance. Texas convention registration is roughly $79. Michigan’s is about $50. Georgia’s convention typically falls between $150 and $200. These states represent far larger Republican organizations than Alaska, yet their conventions remain far more affordable for grassroots participants.
Once travel and lodging are added, the financial burden for Alaskans grows significantly. A valley-based Republican Women’s club leader recently noted that “when participation costs nearly $1,000 by the time travel and lodging are factored in…” many people simply cannot afford to attend. Another Republican Women’s leader remarked during a recent District Committee meeting, “You can’t be poor and a Republican in Alaska.”
Party leadership has acknowledged the reasoning behind the pricing. In response to concerns about ticket costs, the Party Vice Chair explained that the price reflects expenses such as “conference rooms, meeting spaces, IT, and make it worthwhile for people to attend.”
Concerns about participation extend beyond the State Convention itself. Within Region 4, districts were directed by the Region Representative to adopt a predetermined District Convention price rather than allowing District Committees to vote on their own venue and registration cost. That approach undermines the autonomy of District Committees as outlined in the party’s own rules, which are intended to preserve local decision-making authority. When districts are prevented from setting their own convention logistics and pricing, it restricts grassroots participation and raises legitimate concerns about adherence to the party’s governing framework.
At the same time, the party’s broader financial priorities deserve scrutiny. Party expenses indicate that municipal campaign expenditures total less than half of the annual credit card processing fees accrued by the party. In other words, the Alaska Republican Party spends more money processing donations than it spends supporting Republican candidates in major municipal elections.
That imbalance is difficult to ignore. Grassroots Republicans are being asked to spend hundreds of dollars to attend the party’s most important internal gathering, yet the party’s fundraising activity does not appear to translate into proportional support for Republican candidates on the ground.
The Republican Party itself was founded on principles that remind us why accessibility matters. Abraham Lincoln, the party’s first president, was born into poverty and rose from a humble upbringing to the White House with the support of ordinary Americans. The party he helped build was never intended to be reserved for the wealthy or the well-connected. It was meant to represent citizens who believed in opportunity, responsibility, and self-government.
The State Convention should be a place where grassroots Republicans gather to debate ideas, shape the future of the party, and build momentum for upcoming elections. It should not become an event that only those with significant financial means can attend.
If the Alaska Republican Party wants to maintain the trust and participation of its grassroots supporters, it must take seriously the concerns that have already been raised by its own members. Fiscal responsibility and accessibility should not be competing priorities. They should be fundamental expectations of party leadership.
Zack Gottshall is a retired U.S. Army Intelligence Officer, former Vice Chair of the Alaska Republican Party, and a public policy and grassroots advocate in Alaska.
