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.