Pres. Trump endorses Dunleavy, Portugal. The Man endorses Begich for Alaska governor

In a series of tweets sent out Thursday afternoon, President Donald Trump endorsed several candidates up for elections in races across the country. One of those races is right here in Alaska, for who will be the next governor.

In his Thursday tweet, Pres. Trump endorsed

the Republican candidate running against Democrat candidate

In his tweet, Pres. Trump said Dunleavy will make a "fantastic Governor of Alaska."

Dunleavy's endorsement came in the middle of five tweets singling out other Republican lawmakers in Maine, Pennsylvania, and Washington races. In those tweets, Pres. Trump voiced very similar praise for all five candidates as that of Dunleavy, saying all candidates have his total endorsement.

Dunleavy replied with a tweet of his own, saying Pres. Trump's policies "have been good for Alaska, including his appointment of Alaskans to key positions in the federal government."

Mark Begich, who is running against Dunleavy in the election, was unphased. In a statement emailed to KTUU, his campaign manager Nora Morse said, "There is nothing surprising about Mike Dunleavy's 'October Surprise' tweet endorsement from President Trump. Dunleavy has run a negative campaign bought and paid for by outside special interests so it isn't shocking that his last campaign trick would be securing the endorsement of a divisive outside politician who lives four thousand miles away and is out of touch on Alaska issues."

"This election is about one thing Alaska's future and it will be decided by Alaskans," Morse said.

To that, a very different sort of endorsement came to Begich on Thursday. Though it's not the president, it was from Alaskans.

In a tweet, Alaska-grown band Portugal. The Man endorsed Begich, saying that while they typically don't endorse politicians, Begich is one of only three candidates they say was endorsed by the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, which is "working to protect Alaska's wild salmon fisheries in Bristol Bay" and beyond.