NRSC ad targets Democrat Mary Peltola over DHS shutdown
The National Republican Senatorial Committee released a nearly 30-second digital ad accusing Democrat Mary Peltola of ties to Senate Democrats who have blocked funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including the Coast Guard, during a partial government shutdown. The ad urges Peltola to stand up to Democrats and end the shutdown,arguing it should prioritize Alaska’s Coast Guard.
Key points:
– The ad links Peltola to Democratic resistance on DHS funding and portrays her as opposing Alaska’s Coast Guard funding. It features a call to tell her to “stand up to Senate Democrats, end the shutdown, and put Alaska’s Coast Guard first.”
– Peltola’s campaign says the ad is misleading,noting she supported Coast Guard funding while in the house and criticizing Dan Sullivan (R-AK) for repeatedly voting against such funding. the DHS shutdown has been ongoing sence February 14 amid stalled negotiations.
– Peltola previously represented Alaska’s at-large congressional seat (2022-2025) and lost reelection in 2024 to now-Rep. Nicholas Begich.
– The article also notes the NRSC’s use of AI-generated content and deepfakes in ads, including a separate Deepfake clip targeting Texas Senate candidate James Talarico. Schumer did not comment on the Peltola ad.
Democrat Mary Peltola dinged in Alaska Senate ad over DHS shutdown
EXCLUSIVE — The campaign arm of Senate Republicans is using the partial government shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security to criticize Democratic Alaska Senate hopeful Mary Peltola, as she looks to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in the November midterms.
In a nearly 30-second digital ad first seen by the Washington Examiner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee links Peltola, a former member of Congress, to Senate Democrats blocking DHS funding over Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy demands.
“Our adversaries are lurking off Alaska’s shores. And Democrats like Mary Peltola and Chuck Schumer want to leave our Coast Guard unfunded,” the ad’s narrator says. “Tell Mary Peltola to stand up to Senate Democrats, end the shutdown, and put Alaska’s Coast Guard first.”
Peltola represented Alaska’s only congressional seat from 2022-2025 and lost reelection in 2024 to now-Rep. Nicholas Begich (R-AK). DHS and its umbrella agencies that include the Coast Guard, ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and the Transportation Security Administration have been shut down since Feb. 14 amid stalled negotiations between Democrats, Republicans, and the White House.
In a statement, the Peltola campaign characterized the ad as misleading, noted she supported Biden-era Coast Guard funding when she served in the House, and criticized Sullivan for opposing government spending measures that included money for the agency under former Presidents Joe Biden, Trump’s first term, and Barack Obama.
“D.C. insiders are terrified of Mary because they know she’ll clean up corruption and finally put an end to their self-dealing,” a Peltola campaign spokesperson said. “While Mary is the mother of two Coasties and helped secure nearly $12 billion for the service to keep Alaska safe, Dan Sullivan repeatedly voted against Coast Guard funding again and again, jeopardizing readiness and hurting servicemembers. Alaskans know better than to trust bogus ads from Sullivan’s special interest backers, and they’re going to send Mary to the United States Senate this November because she’ll put Alaska first.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) did not provide comment.
The Alaska seat, which Sullivan has held for two terms, “leans Republican,” according to nonpartisan election forecasters. It’s among the slate of races Democrats are eyeing in their quest to flip the upper chamber that Republicans control 53-47.
SENATE GOP USES JAMES TALARICO’S WORDS AGAINST HIM WITH DEEPFAKE ATTACK AD
The ad includes a deepfake clip of Schumer using ai-generated audio and video based on a quote he said in a floor speech from 2018. The clip includes a small watermark Disclaimer: “Real quote – AI generated video.” Floor speeches in Congress cannot be used in campaign ads.
The ad marks the latest instance of the NRSC leaning increasingly on AI-generated content and deepfakes to criticize Democrats, including one last week targeting Democratic Texas Senate nominee James Talarico.
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