This story was originally published in the Alaska Beacon.
Incumbent Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola is continuing to raise more money than her Republican challengers, according to reports published this week by the Federal Elections Commission.
The reports, due July 15, cover the period from April 1 through June 30. They show Peltola having raised over $2.1 million in that stretch.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican challenger, raised almost $400,000, and fellow Republican challenger Nick Begich raised about $311,000. It was Begich’s best fundraising quarter so far.
Twelve candidates have registered for the Aug. 20 primary election, but none of the remaining nine reported raising enough money to file a report.
While money doesn’t automatically equate to victory in an election, it usually does.
In 2022, 93.65% of U.S. House candidates who spent the most money on their race went on to win the election, according to figures kept by the Center for Responsive Politics. Since 2000, that figure has never dropped below 85%.
Two years ago, Peltola’s campaign spent $6.9 million; Republican challenger Sarah Palin, the No. 2 finisher, spent slightly less than $1.9 million.
This election cycle, Peltola has already raised more than $7 million in total. Begich has reported over $919,000 in total contributions, and Dahlstrom has reported slightly over $865,000 in total.
Those figures, and the ones reported this week by the FEC, don’t include millions spent by third-party groups acting independently of the campaigns.
Peltola is one of only five Democrats representing House districts that voted for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in 2020, and Republican campaign committees have made unseating Peltola a top priority.
Dahlstrom is being backed by campaign groups aligned with the Republican House’s leadership, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana. Begich has the support of the Freedom Caucus, a group of Republicans that generally support positions to the right of the establishment.
Because four candidates, regardless of party, advance from Alaska’s primary election, the most intense advertising period will be between the primary and the Nov. 5 general election. Millions have already been spent, but the campaigns have more cash on hand for that critical period.
Peltola’s campaign reported having $3.3 million in cash on hand by June 30; Dahlstrom’s campaign reported just over $605,000 and Begich’s team said it had about $235,000.
Correction: The initial version of this article failed to include donations to candidates that were transfers from other political committees. Fundraising totals for all three candidates have been updated.
James Brooks is a longtime Alaska reporter, having previously worked at the Anchorage Daily News, Juneau Empire, Kodiak Mirror and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. A graduate of Virginia Tech, he is married to Caitlyn Ellis, owns a house in Juneau and has a small sled dog named Barley.
