Mary Peltola announces run for Alaska U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Dan Sullivan

Former U.S. House Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, has announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, challenging Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.

Republicans control the U.S. Senate by a 53-47 margin, including two independents who caucus with Democrats. If Peltola were to defeat Sullivan, it would contribute to Democrats’ efforts to retake the chamber.

While Alaska voted for President Donald Trump by a 13-point margin, an indication Sullivan is favored, public opinion polling has shown Peltola is viewed positively by many Alaskans and is likely a competitive candidate.

“It’s categorically competitive. That’s the bottom line,” said Ivan Moore of Alaska Survey Research, a political polling firm actively tracking the election. “It could go either way.”

Several lesser-known candidates have already entered the race, but none except Sullivan has the profile or the likely party support that Peltola does.

Peltola served as Alaska’s at-large U.S. Representative from 2022 to 2024, was the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House and was the first Alaska Native representative elected to Congress. She narrowly lost her bid for reelection in 2024 to Republican Nick Begich III.

Peltola’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for an interview.

In a video announcing her run for Senate, Peltola highlighted her roots: growing up on the Kuskokwim River and fishing every summer with her family, a subsistence tradition she continued raising her seven children.

“Life is difficult here, and we know we have to take care of each other. DC people were shocked that I prioritized going back to Alaska in July to help put up fish for our family. But Alaskans understand,” she said in the video.

“Growing up, Alaska was a place of abundance. Now we have scarcity,” she said. “The salmon, large game and migratory boards that used to fill our freezers are harder to find. So we buy more groceries with crushing prices.”

Peltola says she will focus on putting Alaska above Washington’s political self-dealing, bringing down grocery costs, protecting fisheries, lowering energy prices and building new housing. She repeated her agenda for Alaska: “fish, family and freedom.”

“Our future also depends on fixing the rigged system in DC that’s shutting down Alaska, while politicians feather their own nest,” she said.

Peltola pointed to Alaska’s past representatives to Congress, U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens and U.S. Rep. Don Young, as examples of leaders who prioritized Alaskans over politics. “It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska first, and really, what American first looks like,” she said.

Peltola has served in various tribal, advocacy and elected leadership positions. She served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009, as the director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission from 2017 to 2022 and as a tribal judge for the Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court based in Bethel from 2020 to 2021.

The deadline to enter the race is June 1. In addition to Sullivan, three lesser-known candidates have also filed with the Alaska Division of Elections: Republican Fred Grauberger of Chugiak, undeclared candidate Sidney Hill of Palmer and Richard Grayson of Arizona. Another Democrat, Ann Diener, has also registered with the Federal Elections Commission but not with the Division of Elections.

In a statement, Sullivan campaign spokesperson Nat Adams noted Sullivan’s track record of passing legislation in Congress and contrasted that with Peltola’s single term.

“Senator Sullivan has spent years delivering real results for Alaska: historic investments in our state’s health care, major funding for our Coast Guard, helping protect those who can’t protect themselves and policies that are finally unleashing Alaska’s energy potential,” he said by email. “Dan Sullivan delivers for Alaska. His opponent served a term and a half in Congress where she didn’t pass a single bill. Alaskans deserve a senator with a proven record of getting things done, and the contrast couldn’t be clearer in this race.”

Sullivan has been in office since defeating Democratic Sen. Mark Begich in 2014.

While the Alaska Democratic Party has not yet named its official candidate for the U.S. Senate race, party chair Eric Croft said he is backing Peltola.

“We need an advocate like Mary who will work with anyone – or take on anyone – fighting for us and for the good of Alaska. Mary has never been afraid to stand up to powerful special interests or her own party to put Alaskans first – and we can’t wait to elect her to represent us in the U.S. Senate this November.”

Alaska’s senior U.S. senator, Lisa Murkowski, endorsed Peltola in prior elections, but this year, she’s backing Sullivan.

On Thursday, in an interview with Alaska Public Media, she said she feels Alaska has “a pretty solid team” in the Senate and she is interested in keeping a Republican majority there.

Murkowski confirmed her position via text message on Monday.

“I wish Mary well. She is my long-time friend. That said, I have worked closely and effectively with Senator Sullivan for the past 12 years, and I strongly believe that a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate is in Alaska’s best interests,” she said. “I will be supporting Dan’s re-election — just as I did in 2014 and 2020.”

Sullivan also was endorsed Monday by Teamsters Local 959, which represents more than 5,000 people statewide.

Peltola, meanwhile, was endorsed by SEIU 775, which represents nursing home workers in Alaska. Its members cited Sullivan’s support for Medicaid cuts contained within the Republican-drafted “Big Beautiful Bill” budget act.

A Peltola-Sullivan race is likely to be expensive, with tens of millions of dollars spent on advertising. In 2020, Sullivan defeated independent candidate Al Gross in a race whose spending exceeded $57 million.

Already, Sullivan’s campaign has almost $4.8 million in its accounts, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission. Peltola has not yet filed with the FEC except to close her U.S. House campaign account with $48,000 remaining.

Direct spending by campaigns is typically dwarfed by spending and ads run by third-party groups.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, one of those groups, promptly unveiled an ad labeling Peltola the “Alaska Last” candidate.

By email, NRSC Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia said, “Voters trust Dan Sullivan to keep fighting for the Alaskan comeback and will reject Peltola again.”

The AlaskaBeacon.com is a donor-funded independent news organization in Alaska.