To win control of the U.S. Senate this November, Democrats will need to net at least four seats. That will likely require at least one upset victory – but liberals are quietly confident they may have just such an upset brewing in Alaska.
Earlier this month, former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola announced her candidacy to unseat incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, prompting plenty of celebration from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other national Democrats. In 2022, Peltola became the first Democrat in 50 years to win Alaska’s at-large congressional seat, sparking hopes that she could generate a repeat performance this year. But while Peltola may indeed be the best candidate Democrats could have hoped for, her path to the Senate may not be as clear as it initially seems.
In her announcement video, Peltola framed her candidacy as one focused on fighting for Alaska’s interests over “rigged D.C.” as well as an appeal to overcoming partisan politics. “My agenda for Alaska will always be fish, family, and freedom,” she said, reviving the slogan from her successful U.S. House run, “but our future also depends on fixing the rigged system in D.C. that’s shutting down Alaska while politicians feather their own nest.”
Early polling gives Democrats reason to be optimistic that Peltola has a chance in the race. Prior to her announcement, Alaska Survey Research found Peltola leading Sullivan 48 percent to 46 percent, while the progressive firm Data for Progress had her leading by one point.
Peltola undoubtedly understands how to distance herself from the toxic Democrat Party brand and position her campaign as an outsider taking on the corrupt D.C. establishment and “Lower 48 partisanship.” She has even tacitly embraced some of President Donald Trump’s “America First” rhetoric. But while that might be enough to make the race close, it remains to be seen if it’s enough to boost her over the top.
Moreover, Peltola now has a voting record in Congress that Republicans can leverage against her. According to her Heritage Action Scorecard, Peltola voted alongside her fellow progressive Democrats 82 percent of the time. That hardly reflects the moderate image she’s trying to project in her campaign. Her record also shows that she has betrayed each of the core values of her campaign.
Peltola repeats “Fish” as a supposed sign of her commitment to defending the state’s maritime industry, yet her record shows that she ignored the concerns of Alaskan fishermen. When Peltola introduced her “Bottom Trawl Clarity Act of 2024,” the National Fisheries Institute and the Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA) raised major concerns regarding the legislation’s mandates and regulations that would harm the industry. They pointed out that the regulations and mandates would put such strain on the industry that it would threaten jobs, especially in “rural and socio-economically disadvantaged regions where few alternative economic drivers exist.”
Peltola claims to stand for “Family,” yet her stance on abortion says otherwise. She has built a reputation for being radically pro-abortion, calling for “access to safe, legal abortions, with no exceptions.” She has also stated that she “will fight to codify Roe v. Wade and guarantee the right to individual choice.” Unsurprisingly, she has received endorsements from abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood, NARAL Pro-Choice America, EMILY’s List, and the National Women’s Political Caucus.
Finally, Peltola claims to stand for “Freedom,” yet has stood behind left-wing efforts to weaponize government against conservative Americans for expressing their beliefs. For instance, she voted against a measure blocking Biden-era Department of Labor rule allowing investment account managers to discriminate against companies that don’t align with liberal beliefs on climate change, gender ideology, or other progressive dogma.
Peltola has also claimed to be committed to protecting her state’s economy and bringing down the cost of living, yet she has completely embraced the left’s economic and energy policies that harm everyday Alaskans. For example, she voted against the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 and The Lower Energy Cost Act, which would have sped up the process for gas/oil permits in Alaska to reduce energy costs for Americans and create new jobs. She also voted for the inflationary spending of the Biden years that sent costs soaring.
According to the American Energy Alliance, Peltola’s voting record on energy is similar to “extreme anti-energy members like Green New Deal creator Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.” The group called her stance “clearly out of step with her constituents in Alaska.”
Ultimately, the fact that coastal progressives like Chuck Schumer are so excited about Peltola’s candidacy should be a warning sign to anyone who believes that she is a reasonable moderate. While all the pieces fell into place for Peltola to shock the political world in 2022, she may not be so fortunate this time around.
Hunter Oswald is a Research Fellow for The American Spectator. He is an alum of Grove City College, where he graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Political Science. You can follow him on X @HunterOswald8.
