Peltola, Sullivan spar in fiery final Alaska Senate debate: ‘Let’s have some decorum’

Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) and Sen. Dan Sullivan (R) sparred Wednesday in a fiery final debate for Senate in Alaska.

They tackled the Iran war, economic woes and fisheries in an hourlong debate hosted by Alaska Public Media in partnership with Alaska’s News Source and KTOO. Sullivan, who’s seeking a third term, and Peltola, a former congresswoman who lost Alaska’s at-large House seat in 2024, cast each other as longtime politicians more focused on Washington and the Lower 48 than the issues facing Alaskans at home.

It’s the last scheduled showdown between the rivals as Peltola narrowly leads in recent polls of the race in a state that Trump won by double digits in the last presidential race.

At one point, Sullivan accused Peltola of having gotten the debate’s questions beforehand, arguing that she was reading her answers. The moderators clarified that neither candidate received questions beforehand.

The senator also slammed Peltola for her work with a D.C. lobbying firm after losing her House reelection bid, saying, “You’re walking through the revolving door so much. You must be getting dizzy up here.”

Peltola hit back: “When I lost in ‘24, I went to work in Anchorage on Alaskan issues, municipal issues. Dan’s been in D.C. for 12 years and gotten richer every single one of those years.”

Sullivan rebutted by citing a recent bombshell report from The New York Times , telling voters to “take a look at how she treats Alaskans when the cameras are off” as he accused her of having “abused” staffers.

As Peltola called the claims “unfounded” in crosstalk with Sullivan, a moderator threatened to silence the candidates’ mics, saying, “Let’s have some decorum here.”

Several former Peltola aides who requested anonymity told the Times about profane outbursts and displays of anger throughout the campaign and her former congressional office. The tensions also reportedly led to Peltola a staffing shakeup days before Alaska’s August primary.

Her campaign denied any pattern of problematic behavior, but she acknowledged she “sometimes struggled to deal with her grief” after the 2023 deaths of her mother and husband .

Later in the Thursday night debate, Peltola responded directly to the Times’s reporting.

“I do not think that this election is about me on my worst day, and I found so many of these allegations concerning and outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth,” she said.

“It’s hard not to consider staff members part of your family with the amount of time that you spend together, the kind of pressure that you endure, and I really am very concerned about making sure that we are respectful and respectful of all people,” Peltola said. “I think it’s a real sad statement that I’m such a threat as a candidate that they’re just willing to do and say anything about me to help Dan win.”

Moderators later pressed Sullivan on why he hasn’t denounced derogatory rhetoric from President Trump as strongly as he denounced Peltola’s remarks in the Times reporting.

“Oh, I have denounced the president’s language on these kind of issues,” Sullivan countered, pointing to “ his Megyn Kelly comments and other things like that.”

The rivals found some common ground on protecting youth on online platforms and social media.

“This is an area I’m going to agree with Mary Peltola on. … You can have the greatest economy in the world and job growth, but if your kids are having high levels of depression, young Alaskans, we have to address this,” Sullivan said.

When the candidates were later asked to share a compliment about their competitor, Sullivan said he appreciated that Peltola attended his Marine Corps retirement ceremony. Peltola said she had “three lovely things” to praise the senator on, pointing to his three daughters.

Alaska is considered a solidly red state, but it’s also shown an openness to independents and moderate Democrats. Independent Bill Walker was elected governor in 2014, and Peltola won the Last Frontier’s lone House seat in a 2022 special election before securing a full term. Mark Begich was the last Alaska Democrat to win a Senate race in 2008.

In a potential sign of the race’s high stakes, Trump and Vice President Vance have made recent visits to the state.

Peltola also outraised Sullivan in the second quarter of the year, with nearly $7 million to the incumbent’s $2 million, though Sullivan ended with more cash in the bank.

Decision Desk HQ’s polling averages also put Peltola up by roughly 2 percentage points over Sullivan, with a “likely Democratic” forecast. Cook Political Report, though, still considers the race a “toss up,” with early voting set to start next week.

Alaska is one of just two states that use ranked-choice voting statewide in the general election.