Mary Peltola rejects Kamala Harris endorsement in Alaska Senate race

Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola is distancing her campaign from former Vice President Kamala Harris following an unsolicited fundraising email. The email, sent by Harris’s ‘Fight for the People’ PAC, urged supporters to split donations between the PAC and Peltola’s campaign, claiming Peltola could ‘flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats.’

Peltola’s campaign responded by stating they had not approved the message and were not seeking endorsements from anyone in the ‘Lower 48,’ emphasizing a focus on Alaska-specific issues. This move comes as Peltola seeks to unseat Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan in a state where Donald Trump won by 14 points in 2024.

Republican opponents, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have used the email to attempt to link Peltola to the national Democratic brand and the Biden-Harris administration. Peltola, the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, has attempted to build a moderate political identity centered on ‘fish, family and freedom.’