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SullivanUpdated Oct 16, 2026, 3:12 PM ET
Mary Peltola, a Democrat who represented Alaska's at-large district in the US House from 2022 to 2025, is challenging Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in 2026.
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Latest coverage
Live News
Recent media coverage for Mary Peltola.
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Sullivan, Peltola set to meet in televised debate in high-stakes Alaska US Senate race
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The two major candidates in Alaska's competitive U.S. Senate race are set to debate before a statewide audience Thursday, just days after President Donald Trump visited the state to help rally…
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Mary Peltola Joins Alaska Flight Attendants Picketing for Better Pay, Working Conditions
ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Mary Peltola, a former Alaska congresswoman and Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, joined Horizon Air flight attendants on a picket line Wednesday, Oct.
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Trump attacks Mary Peltola at Wasilla rally as Senate race heats up | Local & State News
President Donald Trump launched personal attacks against Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola during a rally in Wasilla on Tuesday, criticizing the former Alaska congresswoman as she challenges Republican U.S.
youralaskalink.comSullivan -
‘I think Alaska’s turning blue’: Republicans fret Sullivan’s path to reelection
Alaska strategists and voters acknowledge GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan is facing a difficult road, despite Trump’s support and the outside money pouring in.
PoliticoSullivan -
Peltola Campaign Rakes in Record-Breaking $17 Million Third Quarter Haul Powered by Grassroots Donations
The article reports that Mary Peltola’s campaign raised a record-breaking $17 million in the third quarter, fueled by grassroots donations.
More coverage 2
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Trump went all the way to Alaska in a sign of just how close its Senate race may be
Former President Donald Trump traveled eight hours to Alaska to rally for incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is seeking a third term.
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As King Cove road issue heads to federal appeals court, Peltola reiterates her support
Mary Peltola reiterates support for the Izembek (King Cove) road in Alaska as she campaigns in rural areas ahead of the U.S. Senate race against incumbent Dan Sullivan.
No story this week names this candidate.
- Born
- August 31, 1973
- Birthplace
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Education
- Poudre High School
University of Northern Colorado (elementary education studies, 1991 to 1993)
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Southeast
University of Alaska Anchorage
Biography & Campaign Analysis
Background
Mary Sattler Peltola was born Mary Sattler in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 31, 1973. Her father, Ward Sattler, came to Alaska from Nebraska as a pilot and teacher, and her mother is Yup'ik, from Kwethluk.
She grew up along the Kuskokwim River in Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, Platinum and Bethel, fished with her father from early childhood and was running her own boat as a captain by age 14.
From 1991 to 1993 she trained to teach elementary school at the University of Northern Colorado, then took courses at three University of Alaska campuses from 1994 to 1998 without completing a degree. After a 1996 internship in the Alaska Legislature, she worked as a reporter.
Career
Peltola won a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives in 1998 and held it from 1999 to 2009. From 2008 to 2014 she was the Donlin Creek Mine's manager for community development and sustainability, and she sat on the Bethel City Council from 2011 to 2013.
She later worked as a lobbyist, directed the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission and, from 2020 to 2021, served as a judge in the tribal court of the Orutsararmiut Native Council.
After the death of Representative Don Young, she won the August 2022 special election for Alaska's at-large congressional district, in which she beat Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III.
Sworn in on September 13, 2022, she became the first Alaska Native member of Congress and the first woman to hold a House seat for Alaska. She won a full term in November 2022 and lost the 2024 election to Begich, who took 51.3% in the final round to her 48.7%.
2026 race
On January 12, 2026, Peltola, a Democrat, entered the race for the Senate seat held by Republican Dan Sullivan, who is seeking a third term. In the nonpartisan primary on August 18, 2026, she placed first with 49.5% of the vote, ahead of Sullivan at 41.4%. Republicans Daniel J. Sullivan and Gerald Heikes also advanced to the four-candidate general election on November 3, 2026, which will be decided by ranked-choice voting.