After months of intrigue over what office one of Alaska’s most enduringly popular politicians might pursue in 2026, former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola announced today she’s running for U.S. Senate.
The announcement sets up a high-stakes race against right-wing GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, a close Trump ally who supported the president’s efforts to defund public media in the state, that could determine whether Democrats retake the U.S. Senate in the 2026 elections.
Peltola’s opening message, in a video titled “My Decision,” blames the delegation for putting politics and corporate profits ahead of the well-being of everyday Alaskans, focusing on worsening affordability issues and health care access under the Trump administration.
“Our delegation used to stand up to their party and put Alaska first. Ted Stevens and Don Young ignored Lower 48 partisanship to fight for things like public media and disaster relief because Alaska depends on them,” she said. “My agenda for Alaska will always be: Fish, family and freedom.”
Peltola made a splash in Alaska’s political landscape in 2022 during the special election to fill a vacant seat left by the death of U.S. Rep. Don Young. She then won the general election months later against a divided Republican field to serve a full term before being unseated by Republican Nick Begich.
Peltola’s entrance into the race energized Democrats’ hopes of flipping the U.S. Senate in 2026, with many pointing to her consistently high popularity with Alaskans. Meanwhile, all of the state’s high-profile Republican officeholders — including Sullivan, who has generally stayed under the radar — have seen their popularity slide since Trump took office.
More: Polling: It’s Peltola’s choice for 2026 elections
Sullivan, along with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, was a critical vote in support of Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which was designed to dramatically slash social safety net spending to fund tax cuts that primarily benefit the ultra-wealthy. While Sullivan has desperately tried to reframe the bill as a series of massive, historic wins for the state, many of the concessions — collectively and derisively called the “Polar Payout” — are overshadowed by much bigger cuts.
Other cuts, like a major cut to Alaska’s federal food stamp funding, are timed to take effect only after the 2026 elections.
Peltola’s message is that the delegation can, and should, do better for Alaskans.
“Ted Stevens often said, to hell with politics. Put Alaska first,” Peltola said (a slight change on the original quote). “It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska first and, really, what America first looks like.”
Murkowski, who was once friendly with Peltola, responded to her announcement by immediately throwing her support behind Sullivan.
“We’ve had a pretty solid team here in the Senate for the past 12 years, so we want to figure out how we’re going to keep in the majority,” she said. “And Dan delivers that.”
Peltola’s presence has loomed large over the 2026 elections, with talk that she could run for either the U.S. Senate or the open governor’s race. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Begich even said he’d drop out of the race if Peltola got in.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Bluesky.
