Winning is a mindset. First, we cannot win off the field. Second, we need to know what positions the players are in and what plays are necessary to score. We have to take this same mindset and apply it to the November election. Winning starts with showing up. Then it requires perseverance and the understanding of how to defeat your opponent within the rules of the contest.
Conservatives need a winning strategy leading up to the November general election. The final slate of candidates worked hard to get to this point and if we are going to see conservatives win, they are going to need our help. 2022 saw a 5% drop from the 49% turnout in the 2018 midterm.
Turnout is the most important aspect of any election. If people cannot be bothered to show up and vote, then we get exactly what we deserve. We are a nation of political will and showing up to vote is exercising that will.
Being informed is your duty as a citizen to know how the candidates conduct themselves, what platform they are running on, and whether their values are rooted in morality and justice. Must Read Alaska is working on a unified conservative voter guide to help organize information so you can be confident going to the ballot box and have something to give your friends, neighbors, and family.
So how do we win with ranked-choice voting still in place?
- Vote Yes on 2 to repeal ranked choice voting. The nature of this discussion alone is the reason why we need to get back to how we voted for 244 years: one round, whoever gets the most votes wins. However, that isn’t the game this season.
- Rank the conservative candidates. You can and should mark your favorite candidate in each race #1, but don’t forget to rank the other conservatives. The order does not matter. What matters is that your ballot stays in play to the final round to give the conservative candidate a chance at the podium.
- Exhausted ballots are disenfranchised voters. A bullet vote in a mixed field of conservative candidates will leave many voters out of the final tally because of the ballot exhaustion forced by the RCV system. Not only do exhausted conservative ballots silence conservative voters, but they actually bolster the Democrat candidate by lowering the total number of votes and removing conservatives votes from the final tally. Do not bullet vote if you want a conservative governor.
- Vote for private property rights, affordability, reduced energy costs, natural resource development, secure borders, and American family values by voting for Sen. Dan Sullivan and Rep. Nick Begich III. You are not voting for the person but the policies these people are sent to advocate for on your behalf.
This is a simple strategy and one that everyone can get on board with. It focuses on outcomes and it gives conservatives a chance to work together to win. We won’t win every race, but we need a unified, clear strategy to motivate people to get to the polls and have confidence in the who and what they are voting on. Again, you cannot win the game off the field. Turnout is where winning begins.
The passion on display is encouraging but we cannot continue to cut each other down to the detriment of the other conservative candidates. Working together is more important today than it has ever been in the past. Every conservative candidate should embrace this strategy and encourage their conservative opponents to do the same. Every organization promoting conservative candidates should encourage this same message. Advocate for your favorite candidate— whether that is Wilson, Bronson, or Taylor— but use the winning strategy!
Yes on 2. Rank the conservatives. Reelect Dan Sullivan and Nick Begich.
“It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win,” famously said by Vince Lombardi. Let’s hope that whoever gets the Trump endorsement for Governor that it also comes with a list to rank so we can win in November.
More Conservatives Speak on the Winning Strategy
From Jim Minnery, President of Alaska Family Council: Opinion: Alaska Family Council speaks on governor’s race, invites Christians to prayer gathering
From Dr. George B. Hightower, former 2026 candidate for Lt. Governor: Opinion: The governor’s race is a fight for freedom; here’s how to win
From Jon Faulkner, President of Alaska Gold Communications, Inc.: Opinion: An Obi-Wan Kenobi moment for the Taylor/English campaign
Must Read Alaska unequivocally supports the election of a conservative to the Office of Governor but does not endorse a particular gubernatorial candidate. MRAK encourages voters to rank all three Republicans in their preferred order.
