Alaska?

[cinyc]

Rural Alaska is still too conservative to be competitive in midterm years, but the senate seats may be worth it.

Isn't rural Alaska heavily Democratic?

Northern (and to a lesser extent Western) Alaska isn't.

The heavily Republican parts of Alaska are exurban or railbelt quasi-rural - Mat-Su Borough north of Anchorage, and Kenai Peninsula Borough to its south (but the bulk of its population is far from Anchorage).  Bush Alaska off the railbelt tends to vote Democratic, and has been trending away from Republicans.  North Slope Borough might be one of the relatively more Republican areas of the Bush, but it still generally votes for Democrats.  And, compared to the rest of the state, very few people live there, anyway.

[cinyc]

Yeah, I was under the impression that AK was like MN in that its rural areas voted well to the left of its suburban ones.

It depends on which rural areas you are referring to.  The off-the-railbelt bush of largely Eskimo towns accessible only by air generally votes Democratic.  Ruralish areas on the road system, like the Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, are more Republican.  Most people in those ruralish areas are whites who live in small towns like Delta Junction.