Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) and former congresswoman Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) clashed on their efficacy in Congress, high prices in the state and the impacts of the war in Iran during a tense debate in their pivotal race for a U.S. Senate seat.
Peltola, who represented Alaska’s at-large district from 2022 to 2025, is challenging Sullivan, a two-term incumbent. The Senate race is among the most competitive in the country, with Democrats banking on issues such as high prices, dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and cuts to federal programs to give them a boost in a state that has historically voted Republican. More than 60 percent of Alaska voters are independents.
In the debate Thursday night, Sullivan highlighted his record defending Alaska’s energy and military interests in the state and attacked Peltola as ineffective during her time in office. Peltola accused Sullivan of giving President Donald Trump a green light for an unpopular war in Iran and mischaracterizing her record on defense spending and energy development.
Sullivan and Peltola have already faced off this year, including during a debate focused on the state’s oil and gas industry in Anchorage and another focusing on fisheries in Kodiak. But Thursday’s debate was widely seen as the most significant for the general electorate. Peltola turned down invitations for three other debates with Sullivan this fall.
Here are our takeaways from Thursday night:
Peltola’s workplace conduct is under the microscope
Sullivan questioned Peltola’s professionalism, citing a New York Times report that she used homophobic slurs and other offensive language in angry episodes with her staff as a congresswoman. He also noted Peltola’s high staff turnover and accused her of absenteeism as a congresswoman and state lawmaker: Peltola missed nearly 20 percent of votes in both the U.S. and Alaska houses.
“Congresswoman Peltola has a record of not showing up or delivering for Alaskans. And when the cameras are off, her character is really revealed, and it is not good,” Sullivan said.
Peltola dismissed many of the allegations of workplace misconduct as “gossip” and “unfounded.”
“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,” Peltola said.
Her campaign has attributed her missed votes and conduct toward staff to the loss of her husband and mother within months of each other in 2023. Peltola also ascribed missed votes to her frequent visits to Alaska to meet with constituents.
She did not address her absences in the state House during the debate, although lawmakers who served with her at the time noted she was pregnant multiple times while serving and took parental leave.
Sullivan battles to defend votes on Iran
Peltola cited Sullivan’s 14 votes against a war powers resolution to end the war in Iran, which she said was “driving up our energy bills and hurting Alaskans with no end in sight.” The state is especially reliant on fossil fuels.
Peltola said she would support withdrawing U.S. troops before a peace deal is reached, saying an agreement is “so far out of sight, and Iran can weather hardships. They are waiting us out.” The war is depleting U.S. defense stockpiles — a major concern for Alaska, which has a large military presence and key defenses against ballistic attacks.
Sullivan justified his votes as necessary to ensure Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons but pushed back on accusations that he was blindly following the Trump administration. He acknowledged the price hikes from the war were too high, but stressed the need to find a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that is a choke point for oil.
Both vie for fisheries acclaim
Each candidate tried to claim the title of defender of the state’s fisheries. Sullivan touted his Bycatch Reduction Act, a bill intended to reduce excess fish caught by large commercial trawlers. The bill advanced out of the Senate Commerce Committee last month but has not passed the full chamber.
Sullivan contrasted his bill with Peltola’s record in Congress, where she did not pass her own legislation to address the problem. Peltola has run on banning commercial trawlers to protect local fisheries.
Sullivan argued that a Democratic majority would hurt the industry because Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), who represents many large commercial trawlers, would become Senate Commerce chair, with jurisdiction over the issue. Cantwell voted against Sullivan’s bill.
Peltola has “now run four campaigns where she’s highlighted fish. She’s got them zero done on fish,” Sullivan said.
Peltola rebutted that she and Sullivan had passed legislation together to bar Russian trawlers from Alaska waters and noted the roughly $300,000 in campaign contributions from trawlers supporting Sullivan. She dismissed Sullivan’s bill this year as a “half-hearted and half-baked solution” designed for an election year.
Sullivan touts his resistance to live-streaming an execution
Sullivan cited instances where he opposed actions by the Trump administration, including Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import diesel from Russia and a Pentagon proposal to live-stream an execution. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth planned to live-stream the execution of a convicted mass shooter, but on Thursday, Trump canceled the broadcast.
Sullivan said he lobbied the White House and Hegseth not to stream the execution.
“Certainly, he needs to be executed. But if you have a live-streaming of this terrorist, we are going to create more terrorists,” Sullivan said. “I push back on the administration when I think it’s in Alaska’s interest and our military’s interest.”
Sullivan’s support or rejection of Trump policies could be key. Among likely voters in Alaska, 56 percent disapproved of Trump’s job performance in a New York Times/Siena poll released this month.
They disagree over Republicans’ ‘Big Beautiful Bill’
Peltola and Sullivan debated the merits of Republicans’ marquee legislation of the past two years.
Peltola blasted the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, saying it eliminated health insurance for thousands of Alaskans. The legislation enacts new work requirements and greater vetting for Medicaid, the low-income program that thousands of Alaskans depend on for health care. Medicaid pays for transport from rural villages to specialists in major cities.
Sullivan denied that the law would cut Medicaid for Alaskans, saying the Affordable Care Act had a greater impact and raised insurance premiums in the state drastically. He also touted the $1.4 billion Rural Transformation Program included in the bill to help the state’s health care system. The program was included to help offset the much steeper reductions in Medicaid spending from the law.
Both candidates agreed the Affordable Care Act tax subsidies were an important lifeline for the state. Sullivan, a longtime foe of Obamacare, broke ranks from his party to vote for an ACA tax cut extension last December. Fellow Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) and two other Republicans also voted for the extension.
Sullivan accuses Peltola of getting questions in advance
Peltola was seen reading from her notes, prompting Sullivan to question whether she had received questions in advance.
“We weren’t supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?” Sullivan said, prompting incredulity from the moderators who said they had not provided either candidate with an early look questions.
“Okay, I’m just watching my opponent read from questions that seem to be answered,” Sullivan said.
Peltola quipped: “I’m prepared!”
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