Mary Peltola, barrier-breaking ex-Alaska congresswoman, is challenging Dan Sullivan in Senate race

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola said Monday that she would challenge Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in this year's midterm elections, vowing to shake up the establishment to make life more affordable for Alaskans.

“Life is difficult here, and we know that we have to take care of each other,” Peltola said in a video announcement.

Peltola, who is Yup’ik, was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. She won special and regular elections in 2022, defeating a field that included Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin. In 2024, she lost to Republican Nick Begich, who had also run in 2022.

Peltola's time in Congress was marked by tragedy. Her mother died in 2023, and her husband died in a plane crash later that year.

Peltola focused on local concerns in her announcement, saying Alaska's future depends on fixing the “rigged system in D.C. that’s shutting down Alaska, while politicians feather their own nests.”

She said the salmon and migratory birds that once filled the freezers of Alaska Native subsistence hunters are now harder to find, forcing families who live far from the state's limited road system to rely on grocery stores for pricey staples, driven up by high transportation costs.

“It’s not just that politicians in D.C. don’t care that we’re paying $17 for a gallon of milk in rural Alaska," she said. "They don’t even believe us. They’re more focused on their stock portfolios than our bank accounts.”

Although Democrats are hopeful about picking up seats in this year's midterms, Alaska could prove to be difficult political terrain. Sullivan, a former state attorney general and natural resources commissioner, defeated the state's last Democratic senator in 2014.

While serving in Washington, Sullivan has been involved in military and resource development issues, and he was endorsed by then-President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.

Peltola has long touted her ability to work across party lines, such as supporting the large Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. She angered some Democrats in 2024 when she refused to endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race won by Trump.

Peltola said Alaska’s Republican congressional delegation used to ignore partisanship and do what was right for the state, such as backing public media and disaster relief, and even invoked Republican former Sen. Ted Stevens.

“It’s about time Alaskans teach the rest of the country what Alaska First and, really, America First looks like,” Peltola said.