Alaskans for Bristol Bay Action “The Fish Party”

Using Alaska’s greatest resource to cut through political division

In 2022, Alaska’s midterm elections drew national attention. Democrat Mary Peltola was positioned to flip a U.S. House seat held by Republicans for nearly half a century, while Senator Lisa Murkowski faced a fierce challenge from the Trump-aligned right. Open primaries and ranked-choice voting meant candidates needed to appeal far beyond their base, and Alaska’s political divisions were steep.

True Blue partnered with Alaskans for Bristol Bay Action to build a bipartisan narrative rooted in what every Alaskan understands: fish are life. We united voters around a simple idea — support candidates who protect the state’s critical salmon fisheries. Under the “Fish Party” banner, we reframed two very different candidates as champions of the same Alaska values, giving voters permission to cross party lines and vote for what truly matters.

Impact

The Fish Party campaign message broke through the noise — delivering 20 million impressions, shifting polling in our favor, and moving voters where it mattered most. Lisa Murkowski won re-election by 7 points. Mary Peltola won by 10 points, making history as the first Alaska Native elected to a full term in Congress. Both results were celebrated as a win for bipartisanship — and a decisive rejection of national division. The campaign earned six national awards.