Mary Peltola

Mary Peltola formally launched her 2026 Senate bid against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan with a campaign video Monday that frames her race as a fight to fix a “rigged” Washington and win systemic change on soaring grocery, energy and housing costs and rural food insecurity — citing examples such as $17‑per‑gallon milk and shortages of salmon and migratory birds. Peltola, the first Alaska Native member of Congress who lost her at‑large House seat to Republican Nick Begich in 2024, is a 52‑year‑old mother of seven whose husband died in a 2023 plane crash; the RNC and Sullivan’s campaign have attacked her record and ideology as Democrats face an uphill map after Sullivan’s 2020 double‑digit win and a 53–47 Republican Senate majority.