A proud Yup'ik and the sole statewide member of the US Congress for Alaska, Mary is running for Senate. When she announced, she raised $1.5M and added 500 volunteers in her first day.
Donate via ActBlue »The Emily's List endorsement biography is extensive. At 24, Mary was elected to the Alaska state House of Representatives. She served in the legislature for ten years, rebuilding and chairing the Bush Caucus, which helped pass legislation and influence budgets that improved lives in rural Alaska. In 2022, Mary made history by winning Alaska's at-large congressional seat in a special election, becoming the first Alaska Native elected to Congress and the first Democratic woman to represent the state in Washington.
In Congress, Mary helped end 30 years of delays to secure the Willow Oil Project and create good-paying jobs across the state. After five years of delays, she secured a ban on foreign trawled fish. She brought home more than $9 billion for state infrastructure and rural broadband, and hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate the Railbelt Energy Grid and lower energy prices.
The Race
This race represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to flip a U.S. Senate seat in Alaska. Mary has already proven she can win statewide. First elected in the 2022 special election to fill the remainder of Congressman Don Young's term, her victory gave her the title of the Democrat with the most Republican district in Congress. In the 2024 reelection campaign, despite a narrow defeat by 6,722 votes in a state Trump won by 13%, Mary overperformed the top of the ticket by 11% — the highest overperformance in a Trump district in the country.
From Force Multiplier: Peltola beat former Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2022 special election, flipping the seat blue for the first time since the 1970s. She then won a full term that fall, with Alaska's ranked-choice voting system vaulting her past Palin and Nick Begich III. Begich won a rematch in 2024, ousting Peltola by 2% — compared to Trump's 13% margin in the state.
- Primary date: August 18, 2026
The Opponent
Mary is running against incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan. Politico describes the developing contest. Sullivan's record includes opposition to Trump until he supported Trump, climate change denial, opposition to abortion rights, and opposition to the January 6 investigation. Sullivan opposed Trump during the 2016 presidential race, releasing a statement that said, "We need national leaders who can lead by example" on issues of sexual assault and violence against women. Sullivan added, "The reprehensible revelations about Donald Trump have shown that he can't. Therefore, I am withdrawing my support for his candidacy." Sullivan voted to acquit Trump at the conclusion of his first impeachment trial. During Sullivan's reelection bid, Trump endorsed him, saying Sullivan supported Trump's agenda.
Local Organizing
There are 80 Indivisibles in Alaska.
