Mary Peltola leads Alaska Senate race as top Democrat

Alaska's political landscape is shifting as the state prepares for its unique primary elections, which do not follow traditional party primaries. Instead, all candidates for major offices appear on a single nonpartisan ballot, and voters select one candidate. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to the November general election, which uses ranked-choice voting. This system has significant implications for both the Senate and House races in the state.

In the Senate race, incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan is facing a challenge from within his own party. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, has filed to run against him, citing dissatisfaction with the senator's performance. Republicans have accused Sullivan Jr. of being recruited to confuse voters and split the Republican vote, potentially aiding the Democratic candidate. Alaska election officials initially ruled that Sullivan Jr.'s candidacy was not filed in good faith, but a court later restored him to the ballot. The ballot will list the challenger as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." and the incumbent as "Dan S. Sullivan," with the incumbent designation next to the senator's name to avoid confusion.

On the Democratic side, former Representative Mary Peltola, who lost her House reelection bid in 2024, is the leading candidate for the Senate seat. She is expected to advance to the November election. The Cook Political Report has moved the race into its "toss up" category, indicating that the outcome is uncertain and significant to the broader battle for control of the Senate. Peltola's candidacy has energized Democrats, who see an opportunity to flip the seat in a state that has historically leaned Republican.

In the House race, freshman Republican Representative Nick Begich III is defending Alaska's lone House seat. He has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Fifteen candidates are running for the seat, including independent Bill Hill, an Alaska Native educator, former school superintendent, and commercial fisherman from Bristol Bay. Hill has emerged as Begich's most prominent possible challenger after Democrat Matt Schultz withdrew from the race in July. A recent poll commissioned by Hill's campaign showed him within the margin of error of Begich, although Hill has substantially lower name recognition. The poll found that 34% of voters had an opinion of Hill compared to nearly 85% for Begich. Seventeen candidates initially filed for the office, including 11 Republicans, three Democrats, and three independents. Only four will advance to November. With so many Republicans running, it is possible they could split their support among several candidates, allowing two Democrats to advance to the general election, which would be a significant development in this heavily Republican state.