(The Center Square) – The partisan makeup of the U.S. Senate could be determined by a seat up for election in Alaska.
Voters in Alaska will head to the polls on Tuesday to select candidates in Alaska’s nonpartisan primary race for U.S. Senate. Currently, the partisan makeup of the U.S. Senate is 53-45 with Republicans in the majority. There are two independent senators in the congressional body who caucus with Democrats.
Democrats are looking to take back the upper chamber of Congress by investing resources into key races across the country. Alaska is one of the key Senate races Democrats are targeting.
Incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking reelection in what is expected to be one of the most fiercely contested races in the country. He faces a slew of competitors – 16 candidates are on the ballot – from both parties in the nonpartisan primary, including prominent Democrat Mary Peltola.
Sullivan has focused his legislative efforts on bills that would expand research and environmental protection opportunities throughout Alaska. He introduced the Bycatch Reduction Act, legislation that would regulate the kind of gear that can be used in fisheries throughout the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Unlike a few Republicans in the Senate, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Sullivan has remained a vocal supporter of the SAVE America Act. The legislation would require identification to verify proof of citizenship before individuals can vote in federal elections.
“I don’t think we have a big voter challenge in terms of cheating in Alaska, but for the country, there’s a place in the country where this is an important issue,” Sullivan said. “This is not focused on disenfranchising Alaska voters.”
Sullivan has drawn Republican competitors from many backgrounds to challenge him in the crucial race, including one candidate with his same name, Dan J. Sullivan.
Dan S. Sullivan alleged that Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, mounted his campaign in order to confuse voters at the ballot box on Tuesday. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Dan J. Sullivan was allowed to stay on the ballots but state and federal investigators have continued to examine the controversy.
The federal investigation is looking into whether a conspiracy was hatched to deprive voters of a free and fair election process.
Dan J. Sullivan said his campaign is focused on expanding access to affordable housing, improving healthcare costs and dismantling the Trump administration’s tariff policies. He also criticized the Department of Government Efficiency, after cuts were made to National Parks Service programs in Alaska.
“We lost a lot of people. We lost a lot of programs. We lost a lot of money,” Sullivan said. "We lost a lot of scientific data that's important to our fisheries programs.”
Peltola, a former Democratic congresswoman from Alaska, is mounting a significant challenge to Dan S. Sullivan for the competitive Senate seat. She has focused her campaign on bringing down rising grocery and gas prices.
Peltola proposed bringing more oil refineries to the state in order to lower gas prices, restoring federal tax credits for solar, wind and hydroelectric projects and to eliminate federal income taxes for working and middle-class Alaskan residents earning less than $92,000 per year.
“Alaskans know life is harder here – but there’s only so many times you can sacrifice groceries or skip a doctor’s visit before you start to loathe the DC politicians who keep making things worse,” Peltola said. “It shouldn’t be this hard to get by in Alaska, and when I’m in the U.S. Senate, I’m going to fight to make life affordable for hardworking Alaska families.”
Dan S. Sullivan leads in fundraising with more than $7.2 million in cash on hand, followed by Peltola with more than $4.6 million, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Dan S. Sullivan has received nearly $200,000 from the Pacific National Bank toward his campaign. He has also received more than $767,000 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee PAC and $10,000 from General Motors PAC.
Peltola has received $115,000 from a victory fund with other Democratic candidates for Senate including James Talarico, Chris Pappas and Sherrod Brown. She also earned $5,000 from the Synergy PAC and $10,000 from Getting Results by Engaging Grassroots PAC.
Dan J. Sullivan follows behind both with only $8,400 in cash on hand.
In the nonpartisan primary, the top for vote getters move on to the November election. The winner of November's midterm election is determined by ranked choice voting.
Polls in Alaska are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday. For more information, visit the Alaska Division of Elections at elections.alaska.gov.
