Former Rep. Mary Peltola jumps into Alaska Senate race
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/12/peltola-alaska-senate-2026-midterms-00721596
Former Rep. Mary Peltola entered the Alaska Senate race on Monday, giving Democrats a major candidate recruitment win and the chance to expand the 2026 Senate map as they look for a route to the majority.
The Alaska Democrats decision is a victory for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who recruited Peltola to run against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). Peltolas brand as a moderate problem-solver and the states ranked-choice voting system open the door for Democrats, but its still a steep climb in a state President Donald Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024.
In her announcement video, Peltola pledged to focus on fish, family and freedom, while also calling for term limits and putting Alaska first.
Systemic change is the only way to bring down grocery costs, save our fisheries, lower energy prices and build new housing Alaskans can afford, Peltola said. Its about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like.
Big, big get for Democrats, who now have an honest-to-God, no-squinting path to the Senate majority (NC, ME, OH, AK).
— Nathaniel Rakich (@baseballot.bsky.social) 2026-01-12T13:52:15.593Z