Candidate
Democrat
Mary Peltola
Former U.S. Representative · Alaska at-large
A former House member and fisheries leader running to lower family costs, protect Alaska salmon and stop congressional self-dealing.
Alaska Senate · 2026 · Candidate comparison
Mary Peltola vs. Dan Sullivan
One Senate seat. Two sharply different records on affordability, fisheries, energy, and accountability in Washington.
At a glance
The candidates in this race.
VS
Candidate
RepublicanDS
Dan Sullivan
U.S. Senator · Alaska · since 2015
A former Alaska attorney general and natural-resources commissioner, and a retired Marine Corps officer.
Where they stand
Where they differ.
Peltola
Family and child tax credits plus work on the high cost of getting food and goods to Alaska.
01
What should affordability policy target?
Sullivan
His official agenda emphasizes broad economic opportunity through energy, infrastructure, and federal investment in Alaska.
Peltola
Oil and gas—including Willow—alongside incentives for solar, wind, geothermal, and hydropower.
02
What does an Alaska energy future look like?
Sullivan
North Slope development, Alaska LNG, and related infrastructure are central to the record his office describes.
Peltola
End factory trawling, protect salmon habitat, and give tribes a federal fishery-management seat.
03
Who speaks for fisheries?
Sullivan
His office identifies fisheries, coastal communities, and rural Alaska as priorities in its Senate agenda.
Peltola
Term limits, a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, and fuller donor disclosure.
04
How should Washington be accountable?
Sullivan
A voting record aligned with the major Trump tax-and-spending law, which his opponent is making a campaign issue.
Policy priorities.
Mary Peltola
DemocratEliminate income tax below $92,000
She proposes ending federal income tax for working and middle-class Alaskans earning under $92,000, financed by higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires.
Expand tax credits for children
She supports annual child tax credits of $3,600 for children under six and $3,000 for ages six through 17, plus help for childcare providers.
Give cost-burdened renters tax relief
Her housing plan offers refundable federal credits to renters spending over 30% of their income on rent and expands tribal housing grants.
Invest in Alaska energy and renewables
She backs oil and gas development, including Willow, refinery investment and grid upgrades, alongside restoring solar, wind and hydropower tax credits.
Ban factory trawling and protect salmon
She would prohibit factory trawling, strengthen bycatch enforcement and disaster relief, and add Tribal seats to the North Pacific fishery council.
Stop congressional stock trading
She supports banning stock trading by members of Congress, requiring divestment or blind trusts, and limiting congressional service to 12 years.
Dan Sullivan
RepublicanEnergy & infrastructure
His office highlights North Slope development, the Alaska LNG project, and major federal energy and infrastructure investment in Alaska.
Defense & veterans
His biography foregrounds a 30-year Marine Corps career, including reserve service while holding public office.
Fish & rural communities
His annual address identifies fisheries, coastal communities, and rural Alaska as priorities for his Senate work.
Federal policy
The Associated Press reported that he has backed President Trump's signature tax-and-spending legislation in this cycle.
The backgrounds
Public careers.
Mary Peltola
2024
Helped protect nearly 80 Guard positions
Working with Alaska's two senators, she pressed for an exemption from planned Air National Guard staffing cuts. The Guard granted Alaska an indefinite exemption.
2022
Won Alaska's at-large House seat
She won the special election to fill Don Young's seat and the subsequent general election, serving in the U.S. House until January 2025.
1999–2009
Alaska state representative
Served in Alaska's House of Representatives.
2017–2022
Fisheries commission director
Led the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.
Dan Sullivan
2015
U.S. Senate
Began representing Alaska in the U.S. Senate in 2015.
Alaska attorney general
Served as Alaska's attorney general before joining the U.S. Senate.
Natural-resources commissioner
Also served as Alaska commissioner of natural resources.
Marine Corps service
His Senate biography says he served for 30 years in the Marine Corps and retired in 2024.
The record.
Mary Peltola
DemocratPolicy choice
An all-of-the-above energy pitch
Peltola's campaign backs both the Willow oil project and expanded renewable-energy incentives. That puts her closer to an energy-development coalition than a no-drilling position.
Why it matters: A stated policy tradeoff, not an allegation of wrongdoing.
Dan Sullivan
RepublicanPolicy choice
Backing Trump's tax-and-spending law
Sullivan has highlighted his vote for President Trump's major tax-and-spending package. Peltola has made opposition to that law part of her case against him.
Why it matters: A clear voting contrast, not an allegation of wrongdoing.
Documented outcome
Pebble Mine tapes prompted scrutiny
Secretly recorded 2020 conversations captured Pebble Mine executives saying they expected Alaska's senators, including Sullivan, would not ultimately block the project. After the recordings became public, Sullivan said he opposed the mine and supported denial of its permit.
Why it matters: The executives' statements were their own assertions, not evidence that Sullivan had an agreement with the company. They nevertheless intensified scrutiny of the project and his earlier position.
Policy choice
Voted to acquit Trump in 2021 impeachment trial
The official Senate roll call records Sullivan as voting "not guilty" on the 2021 impeachment charge against former President Donald Trump.
Why it matters: A public vote on a nationally divisive proceeding—not a misconduct finding about Sullivan.
Sources.
- 01Mary Peltola campaign
- 02Mary Peltola campaign - affordability
- 03Mary Peltola campaign - energy
- 04Mary Peltola campaign - fish
- 05Mary Peltola campaign - fixing the system
- 06Alaska delegation - Air National Guard positions protected
- 07U.S. House History - Mary Peltola biography
- 08Senator Dan Sullivan - biography
- 09Senator Dan Sullivan - 2026 annual address
- 10Associated Press - 2026 Alaska Senate race overview
- 11Alaska Public Media - Pebble Mine recordings and Sullivan's response
- 12U.S. Senate - 2021 impeachment-trial roll call
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