Mary Peltola, an Alaska Native Democrat and former U.S. representative, said Monday she will challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s Senate race this year.
Peltola made the announcement in a video, saying the state’s political fight is about making everyday life more affordable. “Life is difficult here, and we know that we have to take care of each other,” Peltola said in the announcement.
She argued that Alaska’s future depends on fixing what she described as a “rigged system in D.C. that’s shutting down Alaska, while politicians feather their own nests.” In her remarks, she said salmon and migratory birds that once supported Alaska Native subsistence hunting have become harder to find, and that families living far from the state’s limited road system increasingly depend on grocery stores for staples that cost more due to transportation expenses.
Peltola also criticized national lawmakers over cost-of-living pressures, saying, “It’s not just that politicians in D.C. don’t care that we’re paying $17 for a gallon of milk in rural Alaska.” She added, “They don’t even believe us. They’re more focused on their stock portfolios than our bank accounts.”
Democrats would need to flip four seats to win the majority in the 100-member Senate, a goal that would require ousting Republicans in states that voted for Donald Trump in the presidential election while also defending Democratic incumbents. Peltola, who is Yup’ik, would be part of that effort as she seeks statewide office against an incumbent who previously defeated Alaska’s last Democratic senator in 2014.
Supporters said Peltola’s entry changes the race dynamics. Eric Croft, the state party chair, called her “our most steadfast champion and a strong voice for Alaskans in every region of our state.” Lauren French, a spokesperson for the Senate Majority PAC, said Peltola’s decision “completely upends the campaign.”
Peltola has served in Congress as Alaska’s only House representative since winning special and regular elections in 2022, defeating a field that included Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin. In 2024, she lost her seat to Republican Nick Begich, who previously ran unsuccessfully in 2022.
Her time in Washington has been marked by personal tragedy, with her mother dying in 2023 and her husband dying in a plane crash later that year, according to the announcement coverage. In the video, she also highlighted her past focus on local concerns and said Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation once backed “public media” and disaster relief while invoking former Sen. Ted Stevens.
Peltola said, “It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like,” and suggested the campaign will test whether voters want candidates aligned with those priorities.
The Republican National Committee pushed back on Peltola’s bid, saying she became “a rubber stamp for the far-left the second she got to Washington.” RNC spokesperson Nick Poche said, “Alaskans saw through her empty promises then showed her the door, and she’ll lose to Dan Sullivan who fights for Alaskans every day.”
Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, has also reported campaign finances showing he had $4.7 million available in his last campaign finance report that included the third quarter of 2025, with new reports expected soon. Nate Adams, a campaign spokesman for Sullivan, said the senator “has spent years delivering real results” while “his opponent served a term and a half in Congress where she didn’t pass a single bill.”
Alaska’s political system includes open primaries and ranked choice voting in general elections. The top four vote-getters in the August primary, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the November general election.