Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola and members of her family were involved in a two-vehicle collision in Anchorage on Saturday night, prompting her campaign to adjust upcoming schedule commitments in the final stretch of the midterm race.
The crash occurred Saturday in the vicinity of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention, where candidate events and campaign appearances had been underway over the weekend. It happened when another vehicle crashed into the one transporting Peltola and her family, the campaign said. The family was on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet.
“Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement. “Unfortunately, per the advice of medical professionals, Mary’s upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel will be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover.”
“Mary is disappointed that the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour, and she is eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families,” Bruce added.
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The pause comes at a pivotal moment in Alaska’s high-stakes Senate contest between Peltola and incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, as both campaigns scramble across the state to mobilize voters and secure turnout ahead of the November midterm vote.
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Peltola, an Alaska Native and former congresswoman, is hoping to become the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent the state in the Senate. Both she and Sullivan have tried to rally support from Alaska Native voters, a key constituency in the high-stakes race that has become one of the most watched in the nation.
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President Donald Trump — who held a rally in support of Sullivan earlier this month — said Friday he told his administration to sue to block certification of the race if the incumbent loses. The lawsuit cites potential confusion with another candidate who is listed on the ranked choice ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Alaska allows voters to rank their top picks rather than choosing a single candidate. Voters will have four choices, including Sullivan, Peltola and the other Dan Sullivan, a candidate Republicans have called a decoy in what they believe is a Democratic effort to confuse voters.
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“I revealed what everyone knows, that the Ranked Choice Voting Ballot is a TOTAL DEMOCRAT SCAM meant to confuse the Voter, so that Senator Dan Sullivan will lose Votes to a man who has never participated in Politics before, named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.,” Trump wrote early Sunday morning on Truth Social. “He is only there because the Democrats want to steal the Election.”
It is a reason to vote out ranked-choice voting, Trump added.
“The Democrats are trying to steal this important Republican Seat and, if that happens, everything we’ve done for Alaska will come to an immediate hault [sic],” Trump concluded. “VOTE ‘YES’ AGAINST RANKED CHOICE VOTING, on Ballot Measure 2. SAVE ALASKA!”
Peltola has outraised Sullivan through October, $33 million to nearly $14 million, but Sullivan reported having more campaign cash, $5.1 million to Peltola’s $3.2 million. Republicans have outspent Democrats in the race, $42 million to $38 million.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
