January 28th, 2026 Len’s Political Note #785 Mary Peltola Alaska US Senate
2026 General Election
Fish, Family, Freedom, and Fighting Corruption is not a slogan for a national political campaign. Mary Peltola makes it work for Alaska.
Mary Peltola’s closest political ally is Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. In 2010, defeated in a Republican primary, Lisa Murkowski, funded largely by teachers and firefighters, ran in the general election as a write in candidate and won by 10,000 votes, 39.5 to 35.5. Mary Peltola helped out in that campaign.
Perhaps her second closest political ally at the moment is Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose commitment to strong Democratic Senate candidates was capped when he persuaded Mary Peltola to run for the US Senate. Who would have thought that the Democratic Party leaders in both the House and the Senate would be from Brooklyn? With the Nets in 13th place in the Eastern Conference, these two politicians are the best players in the borough since the Dodgers left town. Chuck Schumer is doing a bang up job of recruiting – former Congresswoman Mary Peltola of Alaska, former governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina, former Senator Sherrod Brown in Ohio, governor Janet Mills of Maine, and supporting paraOlympian Josh Turek of Iowa.
Regarding fish and other proteins, Mary Peltola recalls: “ When I was growing up in Bethel, salmon fishing with my father in the summers and dog mushing in the winters, Alaska was a place of abundance. Now, all across Alaska, we have scarcity. Multi-national companies are trawling our waters and decimating our fish stocks. The moose, caribou, and migratory birds that used to fill our freezers are harder to find. So we buy more groceries, where the prices are just crushing Alaska families.”
Regarding families and freedom, Mary Peltola longs for what FDR called “freedom from want.” She says: “DC people do not care that we are paying 17 bucks for a gallon of milk. They don’t even believe us. It’s why our prices are rising, and our heating bills keep going up. All while the health care and services Alaskans rely on get gutted. Systemic change is the only way to bring down grocery costs, save our fisheries, lower energy prices, and build new housing Alaskans can actually afford. Systemic change is the only way to fill our homes with abundance again.”
Regarding fighting corruption Mary Peltola blasts Washington: “They’re focused on their own wallets — not ours. And when they actually work together on something, it’s usually to help themselves. The rigged system in DC is shutting down Alaska and hurting all of us while politicians and their millionaire and billionaire donors feather their own nest. I’m done with politicians getting richer while things get tougher here at home.”
Mary Peltola was born in Anchorage, but raised in small communities. Her dad was a German-American from Nebraska with whom she travelled around the state when she was still a child, helping him campaign for Republicans. Her mom was Yupik. Mary Peltola went away from home for college, attending the University of Northern Colorado thinking she would teach school. She stayed for two years and finished up at universities in Alaska while working as a herring and salmon technician monitoring hatcheries.
In 1995, while still in school, Mary Peltola became the Miss National Congress of American Indians. This was not a beauty pageant but a contest that included performing native dance and wearing native costume. The next year she was an intern in the state legislature and then a Democratic candidate, losing by 56 votes. In 1998, she got herself elected. During her years in the Alaska House, she helped re-create the Bush Caucus. The Bush includes rural and off-road communities
After leaving the legislature, Mary Peltola worked in the private sector for a while. She helped Lisa Murkowski organize her write in campaign, lobbied, and ultimately became the executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. She served for a year as a judge in a tribal court.
In 2022, she ran for Congress in the special election after incumbent Bob Young died. She ran under Alaska’s new rules – a non-partisan, open primary from which the top four were in a run-off, the winner chosen through ranked voting.
Mary Peltola was third in the primary. The candidate who ran fourth withdrew from the top four run-off. The two Republicans who remained were divided. Many of those who favored Republican Nick Begich III eschewed Sara Palin, the former Governor and Vice Presidential nominee and made Mary Peltola their second choice. In contrast, many of those who favored Palin chose Mary Peltola second. The result was a victory for the Democrat.
The full term election did not repeat the process exactly, but Senator Lisa Murkowsky announcing that she was ranking Mary Peltola first went a long way to ensuring her reelection. Mary Peltola had nearly 49% of the vote in the first round of the ranked voting and did not need much to get over the top.
2024 did not work out as well. Mary Peltola lost the election in the second round of ranked choice voting – 51.3 to 48.7. But she was a different kind of winner. She became an icon.
Mary Peltola iconic status was probably a product of her having had improbable success as a Democrat in Alaska plus her reluctance to announce whether she would run for the Congressional seat she had lost, for governor, or for the US Senate in 2026. Many Alaskans wanted her to run for governor and, I suspect, that was her first choice. The US House of Representatives leadership wanted her to run for the house. The Senate leadership wanted her to run for the Senate.
We don’t know what Chuck Schumer had to say that persuaded Mary Peltola. It was probably a combination of promises of resources in support of her campaign and an emphasis on the importance of a Senate victory to the United States of America and to the Democratic Party. If Mary Peltola can win election in Alaska and help bring about a Democratic majority in the Senate (Democrats need to flip a net of four seats), that would create a powerful limitation on Donald Trump’s dangerous presidency,
What kind of Senator would Mary Peltola be? While some would simply describe her as a moderate, she is too complex for that. Her first piece of legislation in the House was the creation of a food security office in the Veterans Affairs Department. She is pro-choice and would codify Roe v Wade in national legislation. She opposed legislation to prohibit participation in athletics for transgendered girls and women.
She was more than open to working with Republicans, Her first staff chief had been Don Young’s staff chief. The initial head of her Alaska office was a Republican who had opposed her. In 2022, when Joe Biden was considering imposing a labor settlement on the railroads, Mary Peltola was one of six Democrats opposed. She was opposed, she explained, because the settlement did not include a sick leave provision. She is pro-Israel, perhaps to a greater degree than the middle of the Democratic Party. And she is sufficiently supportive of gun rights to have been endorsed by the NRA, the only Democrat to have that honor,
Mary Peltola is not in the middle of the road. She is herself, one of the few Native Americans to have been in Congress and the only Russian Orthodox Christian. Perhaps she has developed her iconic status through her ability to be herself while ignoring the pressure on her to decide what to run for. Now that she has decided, DONATE to her campaign for the US Senate. She could be the difference,
Other crucial Senate Races
Democrats have to protect all of their vulnerable Senate seats:
One incumbent and two Democrats running for open Democratic seats
Georgia: Incumbent Jon Ossoff will need to defeat the Republican candidate – probably Congressman Mike Collins. As of September 30, Jon Ossoff had ten times as much money in his campaign bank as Collins, no primary to spend his money on, and a slight edge in the polls.. Help Jon Ossoff keep his financial lead so he can keep his lead with the voters. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #713
Michigan: Congresswoman Haley Stevens has strong primary opposition, but is the probable Democratic winner in the August 4 primary. She has a slight lead in the polls over her two opponents, does slightly better in the polls against the probable Republican nominee, former Congressman Mike Rogers, has raised more money than her primary opponents and has raised slightly more than Rogers, though she is a little behind him in the polls. DONATE to Haley Stevens campaign. See Len’s Political Note #763
New Hampshire: Chris Pappas will probably need to defeat former New Hampshire senator John Sununu, brother of the popular former governor Chris Sununu. Chris Pappas has a respectable cash balance as of September 30, adequate for a small state. Sununu had more, but spent almost all of his funds early. So Chris Pappas leads in cash on hand and in the polls, but not by enough to be a certainty. DONATE to the Chris Pappas campaign. See Len’s Political Note #743
Not as vulnerable, but there is insufficient daylight between the Democratic candidates to choose
Minnesota: We have two strong Democratic candidates — Congresswoman Angie Craig and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. We don’t have polls to rely on. While Angie Craig has a cash advantage, that is not enough to declare her the probable nominee.
Four competitive races to flip Republican seats where we know who to support:
North Carolina. The Democratic nominee will be former governor Roy Cooper, He has no serious primary opponent, a substantial cash lead, and a modest lead in the very few polls over Michael Whatley, a state and national former party chair who will be the Republican nominee. DONATE to Roy Cooper’s campaign. Keep his lead intact. See Len’s Political Note #744,
Ohio. Sherrod Brown, who lost his Senate seat in 2024, is the Democratic candidate for the two-year term up for election in 2026. Sherrod Brown is running against the appointed incumbent and former Lt. Governor Jon Husted and has a slight cash lead, but is slightly behind in most polls. DONATE to Sherrod Brown’s campaign. Help him win this race. See Len’s Political Note #750
Alaska. Mary Peltola’s entrance into this race gives Democrats hope they can defeat Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. He has a substantial cash head start and had the slightest lead over Mary Peltola in polls during the speculation about who would run for what seats. DONATE to Mary Peltola’s campaign. Make the promise become reality.
Nebraska. Independent candidate and labor leader Dan Osborn is opposing Republican multi-millionaire incumbent and former governor Pete Ricketts. Ricketts leads in reported fund raising, not a particularly relevant statistic for so wealthy a man. There are no polls to rely on. Dan Osborn lost by 6 points in 2024 when neither the Republicans nor the Democrats were taking him seriously. Take him seriously. DONATE. See Len’s Political Note #765.
States where we know who to support, but where the candidates’ chances are slimmer.
Mississippi In recent years, Democrats have elected an attorney general, but no governors and no Senators. Even with voter suppression, African Americans are a hefty proportion of the voters in Mississippi. Can an African American Democrat get enough votes to win a state-wide election in Mississippi? Can Mississippi public schools get a favorable story in the New York Times? (The answer to the second question is yes.). Local District Attorney Scott Colom is asking the first question. Can his exceptional record as a prosecutor make a difference against Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith? Six months ago, a poll found her underwater in favorability with 60% of those polled saying they would vote for another candidate. There are no current polls and Hyde-Smith has a real lead in funds raised. DONATE to Scott Colom’s campaign. Give him a chance. See if Mississippians will vote for him.
South Dakota. Independent Air Force JAG officer retiree Brian Bengs is attempting to follow Dan Osborn’s path in Nebraska. He has very little resources while incumbent Mike Rounds has a fair amount. There are no polls. Nevertheless, Bengs is bold and coherent in what he has to say, taking advantage of both Trump’s unpopularity and what appear to be Rounds weaknesses. DONATE. Help create another story about Republican weakness and a surprising independent.
Arkansas Democrat Hallie Shoffner is a farmer in a year that could be the year of the Democratic farmer. She is running against incumbent Tom Cotton. There are no polls. She has raised more money than the wily Tom Cotton, but it would be foolish to think he is not somehow fooling us about his resources. She has about the same chance of being elected as Zohran Mamdani had at this point in his campaign for mayor of New York. Take her seriously. DONATE.
Florida. The Democratic candidate will probably be activist and former school board member Jennifer Jenkins. She is running for this two-year term against appointed incumbent and former Attorney General Ashley Moody. Polls last fall showed Moody leading by 7 to 11 points. Last fall Moody had raised a modest amount for a huge state race and Jenkins had not announced. Moody’s poll lead is not necessarily fluid in a state that has become so Republican, but Jennifer Jenkins is worthy of support. DONATE.
Vulnerable Republican Seats for which Democrats have multiple candidates. The Democrats could find a fourth, even a fifth or sixth seat to flip from this list. We’ll need to figure out who to support though. March is coming soon. June is much farther away.
Texas The primary is March 3.
Iowa. The primary is June 2
South Carolina The primary is June 9
Maine. The primary is June 9
