Former Sen. Jerry Ward has announced he is a candidate for Alaska Republican Party chairman. He joins a field of three others, including Nikki Rose, Mike Robbins, and Carmela Warfield.
The chairmanship opened up after Ann Brown announced she will not run for reelection to the seat. It is a volunteer role and requires the person chosen to pay all of his or her own expenses related to the role, including travel to major GOP meetings in the Lower 48.
Ward served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, was a state senator, a real estate professional, and as President Donald Trump’s Alaska campaign point person in 2016 and 2020. He was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from Alaska, as one of 11 delegates bound by state party rules to support Trump at the convention; during that cycle Sen. Ted Cruz had more delegates than Trump had in Alaska.
He was also a key part of the campaign of Sarah Palin for Congress in 2022.
Ward is a strong supporter of Trump in 2024 and says he will fight ranked-choice voting, the new system of voting in Alaska since 2022.
Ward set up a website to promote his candidacy for party chairman. The party state convention is where the election will take place, April 19-21 in Anchorage. The state convention also chooses 26 of 29 delegates from Alaska to the Republican National Convention.
