Sullivan, Peltola advance in Alaska Senate primary
Senator dan Sullivan (R-AK) and former Democratic Representative Mary Peltola advanced from Alaska’s crowded primary election,setting the stage for an intensely watched Senate race in November.The primary featured 16 candidates competing under Alaska’s nonpartisan system, which allows all candidates from diffrent parties to run on the same ballot, with the top four moving on to the general election. Early results showed a close race, with Peltola holding a slight lead over Sullivan at 45.9% to 45%,with around 50% of votes counted. Two othre candidates, including a second Dan Sullivan, remained in contention for the remaining spots.
Polls have shown a tight contest, with some surveys favoring Sullivan and others giving Peltola a slight edge, contributing to the race’s designation as a “toss-up” by the Cook Political report. The race has attracted significant outside spending,with Republicans notably investing millions to defend Sullivan’s seat. Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, introduced last year, will determine the final winner in November through a process of eliminating the lowest-ranked candidates and redistributing votes until a candidate surpasses 50%.
The primary also featured an unusual moment when a different candidate with the same name as Sullivan appeared on the ballot, after a judge rejected a removal attempt.Peltola, who previously served in the U.S. House and secured a full term before losing reelection in 2024, is aiming to unseat Sullivan in a state that leans Republican but has shown her ability to win statewide. The upcoming general election will be critical in shaping the balance of power in the Senate, as both candidates work to build coalitions necessary for victory.
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola advanced from Alaska’s crowded primary Tuesday, setting up the next phase of one of the most closely watched Senate battles of the midterm elections.
Sullivan and Peltola emerged from a 16-candidate field under Alaska’s nonpartisan primary system, in which candidates from all parties compete on the same ballot and the top four vote-getters advance to the November general election.
Recommended Stories
Shortly before 2 a.m. Eastern Time, with 50% of the vote counted, Peltola had 45.9% of the vote compared with Sullivan’s 45%, according to the Associated Press.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Gerald L. Heikes were in position to claim the remaining two spots in the general election. However, the remaining two spots remained too early to call at the time of this article’s publication. This means that two candidates named Dan Sullivan will appear on the November ballot.
Both Sullivan and Peltola were widely expected to proceed to the general election, but their respective shares of the vote could offer an early indication of the competitiveness of a race that has attracted millions of dollars in outside spending and could help determine control of the Senate.
Polling ahead of the primary showed a tight race between the two leading candidates. A New York Times-Siena University poll conducted in July showed Sullivan narrowly leading Peltola 47% to 45%, a result within the poll’s margin of error.
Other surveys have shown Peltola with a slight advantage. Alaska Survey Research found Peltola leading Sullivan 49% to 44% in March and 49% to 43% in April.
The competitive polling has helped put Alaska firmly on the national Senate map. The Cook Political Report rates the race a “toss up” as Democrats look to Alaska as one of their opportunities to gain the four seats needed to take control of the Senate.
Peltola has sought to keep some distance from the national Democratic Party as she campaigns in a state President Donald Trump carried by 13 points in 2024. That approach was on display last week when Peltola’s campaign rejected an unsolicited fundraising appeal from former Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris’s political action committee sent an email urging supporters to donate to Peltola, describing her as key to helping Democrats regain control of the Senate. Peltola’s campaign said she was not seeking endorsements from figures outside Alaska and remained focused on the state.
National Republicans have increasingly invested in defending Sullivan. The Senate Leadership Fund announced this month that it would spend another $2 million in Alaska, bringing its total investment in the race against Peltola to $17 million.
Outside groups have also spent more than $2 million promoting little-known or perennial candidates in an effort to influence which candidates claim the remaining two spots in the top four and shape the field Sullivan and Peltola could face in November.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system could limit the effect of those efforts. In November, voters will rank the four candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest-performing candidate will be eliminated and those ballots redistributed according to voters’ subsequent choices. The process continues until one candidate surpasses 50%.
Tuesday’s primary also included an unusual twist: Sullivan shared the ballot with another Republican candidate named Dan Sullivan.
The second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher and former U.S. Forest Service employee, was allowed to remain on the ballot after a judge rejected an effort by the incumbent senator to have him removed.
The primary is only the opening round of a race expected to receive intense national attention over the next three months. Peltola is seeking to unseat Sullivan in a state that has traditionally favored Republicans in federal elections but where she has already demonstrated an ability to win statewide.
ALASKA SENATE ELECTION POLLS SHOW NAIL-BITER RACE BETWEEN MARY PELTOLA AND DAN SULLIVAN
Peltola won Alaska’s at-large House seat in a 2022 special election and won a full term later that year before losing reelection in 2024. For Sullivan, Tuesday’s result marked the beginning of his bid to secure another six-year term in the Senate.
The November contest is expected to be among a small number of races that could determine control of the Senate, making the primary results an early test of the coalitions Sullivan and Peltola will need to assemble this fall.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
