Dem. Mary Peltola Eyeing Challenge to GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska
Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska is preparing a bid to return to public office, likely to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R).
Peltola considered a bid for the Senate or the governor’s mansion, but decided to challenge Sullivan, Axios reported Tuesday.
This is music to the ears of Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (NY). Schumer, desperate for good news, has been working to recruit Peltola since at least the summer of 2025 after his 2024 House re-election loss to Republican Nick Begich.
Peltola’s likely entry into the race didn’t catch Sullivan off guard. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) has included Alaska on the Senate battleground map in anticipation of a Peltola race and is ready to attack Peltola and tout Sullivan’s own record upon his anticipated entry into the race.
President Donald Trump won Alaska by 13 points in reliably red Alaska. But the state’s unique dynamics, fueled by its ranked-choice voting system, have a history of giving Democratic candidates a statewide advantage.
Peltola won a special election to replace the late Rep. Don Young (R-AK) in August 2022 after Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin split the Republican vote. In the election for a full term a few months later, Peltola used his burgeoning mandate — and the support of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK), Trump’s nemesis — to once again overtake Begich and Palin.
In both races, Peltola benefited from Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system. Begich finished third in each of the 2022 competitions after heated exchanges with Palin. In these races, after Begich’s eliminations, voters supporting Begich saw their second choice count — a second choice that overwhelmingly favored Peltola over Palin, with whom Begich had fought during the campaign.
Sullivan does not yet have a serious Republican challenger. Yet Schumer has had success in other red states, encouraging Democrats to run as independents, siphoning off votes from Republican incumbents.
Outside groups associated with Schumer spent about $1.5 million last year to soften up Sullivan, Axios reports, a sign that Schumer is willing to spend more in the state to try to reclaim the title of Senate majority leader.
The Republicans enjoy a slim majority with 53 seats compared to 47 for the Democrats. And while the 2026 map favors Republicans, a bullet or two bouncing in Schumer’s direction in states like Alaska could give Democrats the edge. And even if Schumer succeeds in narrowing the Republican majority, anti-Trump senators like Alaska’s Murkowski could end Trump’s agenda in the final two years of his administration.
After losing her re-election bid, Peltola joined Holland & Hart – a law firm engaged in lobbying – as senior director of Alaska affairs. Former members of Congress are subject to a one-year cooling-off period during which they are prohibited from formally lobbying former congressional colleagues, although lawmakers often exploit loopholes and find workarounds to avoid categorization of their advocacy as lobbying or to trigger thresholds that would require reporting.
Bradley Jaye is deputy political editor of Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
