Sen. Lisa Murkowski, left; Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, right. (Reuters; Getty Images)
Dunleavy, like Murkowski, also has been successful in the state’s ranked-choice voting system — which critics claim has inordinately helped Democrats. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, notably won the seat of the late Republican Rep. Don Young, who helmed the at-large district for decades.
Murkowski also "never faced a challenger like him" who has broad support outside conservative circles, the second source noted.
The governor is very close with Native communities on the North Slope and beyond, where residents in far-flung communities have praised him for his focus on Alaska’s energy development potential and allocation of resources for issues like rural education and infrastructure.
A top Alaska political analyst and pollster agreed.
"Conservatives would welcome an opportunity to unseat Murkowski," he said in a Thursday interview.
"The fact that (Trump) and Murkowski have had such a strained relationship and Dunleavy and the president having a good relationship is really what has led us to this point in the conversation," he said.
One area that all parties agreed on is the importance of the Native vote in Alaska elections — particularly those featuring Murkowski or Dunleavy. While the Native electorate leans left, they also cross party lines to support both such candidates — setting up what the pollster described as an interesting showdown.
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Anchorage, Alaska's skyline. (Zihao Chen/Getty Images)
"What would happen in a matchup like this is they would feel conflicted and you would see some of them probably back Dunleavy and some of them back Murkowski … the ones that are primarily involved in the oil and gas and resources business, they view Murkowski as strong on those issues as well as Dunleavy and so they would they would feel conflicted about who to support."
The difference between the two, he reiterated, is that Dunleavy’s other base is firmly on the conservative right, while Murkowski’s is in the center where she also draws support from moderate Democrats.
Murkowski, daughter of another Alaska Republican governor, Frank Murkowski, notably also mounted a strong enough bid to win a write-in campaign in 2010 after being knocked off the GOP ticket by Tea Party candidate Joe Miller.
All of those who spoke to Fox News Digital agreed the race would be a very close one to watch.
Alaska also uniquely swears-in its governors in December — a month earlier than the presidency, Congress and most other state leaders.
Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Dunleavy as well as a contact listed for Murkowski’s campaign and her Senate office and the White House for comment.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/challenger-primed-face-gops-longtime-senate-dissenter-trump-brings-new-focus-alaska