Juneau residents Cindy Fuller and Shannan Greene were among the first in line Tuesday to board the shuttle to President Donald Trump's midterm rally in Wasilla.
"We have been here since 4 a.m.," Fuller said, holding a folded camping chair with an American flag print near Church on the Rock. "It was cold, it was windy, but we survived."
Fuller and Greene were among hundreds of people in line Tuesday morning near the church and along nearby streets. They wore American flag-printed pants, shirts, boots and "Make America Great Again" hats. Many brought chairs, lunch and warm clothes for hours of waiting.
A string of buses started boarding people around 10 a.m. to get them to the nearby Menard Sports Center. Trump was scheduled to speak there at 3:30 p.m. in support of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Congressman Nick Begich, both Republicans running for reelection.
Rally draws Alaskans from across the state
Anchorage resident Jamie Alvarez-Hi stood in line for the shuttle with her mother, who was visiting from Washington state. Both wore flag-adorned clothes. Alvarez-Hi said the election is critical for Trump.
"For him to keep going and to keep getting policies in place, he needs to have the backing of the House and the Senate," she said. "If the Republicans don't win, everything's going to be blocked. So I think it's going to be a big wall of getting things done."
Palmer resident Christina Carrie-Olson said she already "voted red" by mail. She said she got tickets to Trump's rally within hours of its announcement, "just to hear how he's going to make America great again and keep it going, and just keep Alaska red."
In turn, Darin Hibdon from Big Lake, who was wearing a high-visibility safety vest, said he hasn't yet decided who he will vote for.
"I vote out of my spirit basically, and I haven't come to the complete conclusion of that," he said, adding that he would cast his vote for Trump again. "I do believe in what he's doing and that he is the guy for the time."
Palmer residents Sherman and Michelle Leifer were going to the rally with 10 of their children and grandchildren.
"This is a historic event," Sherman Leifer said.
Leifer said he is motivated to vote in the election this year, "hoping that it's not as close."
"I don't want to change the momentum," he said.
Wasilla resident Randy Wooten said he was almost 70, and this would be his first time attending a political rally.
"It's like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us," he said. "It's a president, and it's President Trump, and it's right here in our town. You know we live eight miles away. Why wouldn't we go?"
Most people in the crowd were from Southcentral, but some traveled from other corners of Alaska, like King Cove, Petersburg and Soldotna. A few flew in from other states like Colorado and Washington.
Diane Mayer said she attended a Trump rally in Anchorage in 2022.
"It's the highlight of your life," she said.
Her brother-in-law Phillip Mayer said that while he votes every year, this time around, his motivation is even higher.
"I think our country's coming to a turning point," Mayer said. "I'd like to see Trump's agenda. A lot of it's my agenda."
Protests held in Wasilla and Anchorage
About four miles down the Parks Highway later in the afternoon, several hundred people gathered to protest Trump's visit and his endorsements. They lined up along the road at Newcomb Park next to Wasilla Lake, holding signs with caricature portraits of Trump as well as American and Alaska flags, as passing cars honked.
Dana Pruner from Eagle River said she wanted to lend her voice "to so many other growing voices in discontent with Trump and his administration."
"They are not welcomed by many here in Alaska, and we want to get that message across," Pruner said.
Before local bands took to the stage, several Democratic leaders, as well as Alaska residents, gave speeches, expressing their frustration with high fuel and grocery prices and cuts to Medicare. They held cutouts of Sen. Sullivan's and Jeffrey Epstein's faces.
Speakers said they felt that Sullivan was not engaging with Alaskans and voted against their needs. They called for people to vote for Sullivan's Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola.
Judy Tymick from Big Lake held an umbrella with the "No Kings" slogan, a rainbow flag and a sign in support of Peltola. She said it's important to unite and create "a blue wave in November."
"Republicans have clearly lost their way, and I want to help make sure that there's a better United States waiting for my kids and my grandkids," she said. "I think that Americans are seeing past Trump, and I do think that there will be a wave on Nov. 3."
Meanwhile in Anchorage, roughly 100 people gathered at the Delaney Park Strip to protest Trump's visit. Billed as a "Gas Prices Are Too Damn High" event, many attendees carried signs showing gas prices in various Alaska communities, including Kotzebue ($8.94), Wasilla ($5.19) and Dillingham ($8.82).
Ana Rodriguez held her own homemade sign, which said "Alaskans bear the cold, not the prices." She is part of the caregivers union, and said many of her colleagues are suffering.
"Alaskans are built tough, and we know that we can tolerate the cold. What we cannot tolerate is having, you know, our education cut back on more, our Medicaid cut back on more, and this inflation on costs of fuel, costs of groceries is just outstanding," she said. "We cannot do that anymore."
The Anchorage rally lasted about 25 minutes, and featured remarks from Independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill and former Democratic House candidate Matt Schultz, who dropped out of the race after the primary election.
Alaska Public Media's Wesley Early contributed to this report.
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