With the Alaska Democratic Party in a malaise, former Rep. Mary Peltola is being promoted as the headliner at a special event the party is planning for Juneau on April 24.
It’s called the “White King Dinner,” which likely does not refer to the prized salmon, (not a specialty of the Crystal Saloon, which is the venue), and does mean “white privilege,” but more likely refers to the coveted chess piece on a chess board.
The dinner is all about manipulating the political chess board in 2026.
The Democrats are bringing in some national pollsters to help them reset their party, whose many legislative and other leaders will be in Juneau that week, and to come up with a strategy to take back seats and keep existing ones. They’ve just got to get all the chess pieces in the right place on the board.
“The event will also feature Celinda Lake from Lake Research Partners and Sathvik Kaliyur from New Way Forward. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Alaska Democratic Party,” the invitation says, calling the White King Dinner “an evening of dinner, drinks, and conversation about how we’re going to win in 2026.”
The Democrats are out of money nationwide. In Alaska, donations have ground to a halt, if you set aside the contributions from the Democratic National Committee, according to filings at the Federal Election Commission. The Alaska Democratic Party only received $22,116.75 in individual contributions during the first two months of the year, a small amount for a party that has in the past had a big checkbook and a lot of donors.
Considering that the Alaska Democratic Party had fewer than 20 unique donors in the first two months is showing that the rage machine isn’t translating to party support
At the national level, vulnerable House Republicans raised an average of $994,000 with average cash on hand of $1.2 million. On the Democratic side, vulnerable House Democrats raised an average of just $506,000 with average cash on hand of $642,000, according to James Downs of the National Journal.
Congressman Nick Begich, who has been put on the target list by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, raised the most money in the first quarter of a non-election year than any previous congressional representative for Alaska. The enthusiasm is growing for the policies of the Republicans, as people shrink away from the bizarre talking points of Democrats, who appear to have El Salvadoran criminal MS-13 gang members as their most loyal constituency in 2025.
That the Democrat Party is flying the loser of the 2024 congressional race to Juneau to headline the event shows that the Democrats still consider her the top person to reinvigorate the base, which has a heartbeat in Juneau. The Democrats simply don’t have any big draws other than Peltola. Sen. Forrest Dunbar, known to have higher ambitions, is not that well liked by the party.
The pollsters who the party is bringing into Juneau are also looking to find potential clients for 2026.
Pollster Celinda Lake’s biggest clients are national Democratic campaigns, progressive organizations, and issue-groups like women’s concerns, economic inequality, and climate justice. She was a lead pollster for the Biden campaign in 2020 and works with the Democratic National Committee and other national entities. She was the pollster for former Sen. Mark Begich, a Democrat who won in 2010 against former Sen. Ted Stevens, but lost in 2014 against Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Lake Research Partners served as a pollster for Peltola’s successful 2022 congressional campaign. Lake was part of Peltola’s top-tier campaign team, which included Anchorage’s Ship Creek Group.
Kaliyur of New Way Forward was also a paid consultant to Peltola’s successful 2022 congressional campaign. New Way Forward also works for hardcore leftists like Squad member former Rep. Cori Bush, who was defeated in 2024, as was NWF client Peltola.
At this fundraising dinner event, to be held at the Crystal Saloon, the Democrats will be discussing US Senate, House, and the Alaska governor’s race.
Here’s what the invitation says:
Juneau White King Dinner
“Join Rep. Mary Peltola and the Alaska Democratic Party for dinner! We’ll have a conversation about how we’re going to win 2026 with Rep. Mary Peltola, ADP Chair Eric Croft, and Sathvik Kaliyur from New Way Forward.
“The Alaska Democratic Party is making sure that the issues most important to us here at home — like advocating for education funding, combatting outmigration, and protecting our working families — are being addressed at every level. We’re working to make sure that the progress Democrats made on the ground in 2024 continues to position us to fight Republicans’ extreme agenda and strengthen our party’s power. Together, Alaska Democrats can win the Governorship, U.S. House, and Senate seats – AND keep control of our State House and Senate in 2026.
“But to do this, we cannot sit on the sidelines. With your support, we can continue to stay in the fight, build the strongest Party possible, and help elect leaders who will put people first. Your contribution will help us:
“- Build the bench of Democratic candidates who are invested in improving the lives of all Alaskans and tackle issues like high costs of living and preserving our way of life.
– Invest in year-round organizing efforts and spend time in every ZIP code to build an even stronger network of engaged voters.
– Support our regional parties and provide them with the resources they need to be successful.
Hold far-right extremists like Governor Mike Dunleavy, Rep. Nick Begich, and Sen. Dan Sullivan accountable for their actions.
– Build up our staff and volunteers so we have the capacity and infrastructure to contest every race in the state and win.
“Thank you for your continued support of the Alaska Democratic Party. When we work together, we win.”
The Democrats do not mention Sen. Lisa Murkowski in their list of “extremists.”
“White King” is somewhat odd terminology, however, for the Democrats who are demanding a return to segregation in an attempt to “save democracy.”
The fact that they plan to so openly discuss the campaign playbook means they are trying to convince their donor base that they have answers. But they are bringing in two groups from outside Alaska to instruct the Democrats on what Alaskans think, and they are getting organized to rebrand the Alaska Democratic Party for the 2026 election cycle.
