Senate Democrat Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is reported to be trying to coax former Rep. Mary Peltola into the 2026 US Senate race in Alaska, hoping her candidacy will force Republicans to spend heavily to defend Sen. Dan Sullivan’s seat. Axios wrote about it this week, hilariously calling the report a “Scoop,” but offered weak analysis.
Research shows the Democratic National Committee doubts Peltola can win, but she might be useful in some way in 2026.
Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide race in Alaska and one of just two to do so this century, remains a marquee name for the party in the Last Frontier. Her 2022 special election victory, powered by ranked-choice voting and Republican infighting, briefly made her a rising star in Democratic circles. But she fizzled in 2024 to now-Rep. Nick Begich III. Democrats still have an uphill climb in the state.
Schumer’s recruitment push comes as Democrats navigate a daunting Senate map. While popular Republican governors in New Hampshire and Georgia have taken a pass on challenging incumbent Democrats, Schumer has secured big names in other key states — former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and former Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina.
For Schumer, putting Alaska in play is less about flipping it blue than forcing the GOP to spread its war chest thinner. Earlier this year, a Schumer-linked PAC poured over $600,000 into digital ads attacking Sullivan over the GOP’s tax and spending cuts.
Despite the interest in Peltola, the Democratic National Committee’s own fundraising appeals doesn’t even mention Alaska, instead highlighting the need to defend Jon Ossoff’s tight Georgia seat, hold Democratic ground in Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire, and target Republican-held seats in Maine, Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina. Alaska is not on the list.
This is the Democratic Party using Peltola. They want to keep Sullivan busy and tie up Republican resources, but they’re not betting the farm on Alaska flipping to Peltola. She’s a political decoy, convenient foil, or useful idiot to the Democrats.
With Sullivan entering his third campaign and enjoying solid approval ratings, Democrats know a real upset would require a political earthquake. But sometimes the goal isn’t to win — it’s to make the other side spend like they might lose.
Useful idiot says it all.
Idiot yes. Useful, not so much.
Most Alaskan voters are not fooled by the endless radio ads and flyers filling our mailboxes. I often wonder why Democrats cannot field a viable candidate who is at least semi intelligent and can publicly speak without a teleprompter. Perhaps such a person doesn’t exist in the Democrat ranks.
Trump certainly fooled you. Trump’s American corruption couldn’t exist without gullible voters like you.
TDS is deep inside you. I feel sorry for people who are totally blind to facts.
Smooth brained room temperature IQ sexual deviants need representation too, hence Peltola to the rescue.
Show your pride, lefties
There are 800K postal employees & all they do now is deliver STUPID dark money/GOP/DEM Party political flyers.
Now that Amazon delivers their own packages how long can this system survive?
Schumer already has LISA.
Mary Peltola is an absolute ZERO. Lazy, slothful, and a complete joke. She’ll never win another election. Period.
Yes, Mary proved her worthlessness when she was in Congress telling us how “with it” Joe was.
Ah Julia, and Nick3? The only legislation he was able to pass were the two bills Peltola sponsored. But she is the worthless one…
They don’t even hide that they want to disrupt America. They refused to work with him his first term in office and now again? They are not helping us at all.
Yep. Democrats ….. the anti-America Party.
They don’t need anyone to defeat Sullivan – look at his voting record and everyone should be demanding a better and real Republican….alas, they are not.
Mary did her best work during her time in Congress when she skipped Congressional sessions to be in fish camp. At least there was a viable product that resulted. Nick Begich, in contrast, ‘killed it’ in Congress. He has impressed so many by his competence and intelligent approach to issues that matter to Alaskans. Mary only won that Congressional seat because you had two Republicans neutering each other in that race.
Mary’s fish camp was a democrat party in Colorado where she was fishing for cash for her failed reelection campaign.
Nick did nothing except vote against the interests of Alaskans. The two bills he supported were introduced by Peltola. So just how great is he?
She will be Missing in Action as usual why elect someone that hates you?