Former Rep. Mary Peltola Launches U.S. Senate Bid in Alaska

Former Rep. Mary Peltola announced Monday her intention to run for a U.S. Senate seat to represent Alaska, in a race to unseat two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

In a two-minute video, Peltola cited “shortage” and inflation as issues Alaskans are currently facing.

“Growing up, Alaska was a place of abundance. Today we experience scarcity,” Peltola said. “The salmon, big game and migratory birds that used to fill our freezers are harder to find, so we’re buying more groceries, at rock-bottom prices.”

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Former Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, announced Monday that she will seek to unseat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images)

Peltola previously served in the House as Alaska’s only representative. She won a 2022 special election and a full term later that year, in which she defeated four other candidates, including former Gov. Sarah Palin.

She lost her House seat in 2024 to Republican challenger Nick Begich III.

Peltola cited the state’s last two Republicans as examples of what happened to lawmakers with agendas in Washington who put politics ahead of the needs of the state.

“Our delegation had a history of standing up to their party and putting Alaska first,” Peltola said. “Ted Stevens and Don Young ignored the partisanship of the Lower 48 to fight for things like public media and disaster relief because Alaska depends on it.”

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Rep. Nick Begich, pictured at the congressional candidate forum hosted by resource industry trade organizations. (Ash Adams/Washington Post via Getty Images)

“Ted Stevens often said, ‘To hell with politics, put Alaska first,'” she added. “It’s time for Alaskans to teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, indeed, America First looks like.”

Peltola’s announcement comes as Democrats prepare to try to retake both houses of Congress in November’s midterm elections.

In a video posted online last month by the Senate Majority PAC, the Democratic-aligned super PAC, the group chastised Sullivan for voting in favor of higher costs for health care and other essentials.

In response, Sullivan, standing on his skis, bragged about the tax cuts and criticized Democrats and the Biden administration for policies he said did not benefit Alaska.

Two-term Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Ak., at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, January 9, 2025. (Allison Robbert/AFP via Getty Images)

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“They want what Democrats always want when they’re in charge in Washington,” Sullivan said, referring to at least 70 executive orders signed by Biden that he said have negatively impacted Alaska.