Mary Peltola Declines Support from Kamala Harris

This week, Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Alaska, opted not to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris had previously lost her 2024 presidential campaign in Alaska by a significant margin.

In a fundraising email, Harris stated, “Alaska is a must-win Senate seat for Democrats to regain the Senate majority.” She urged supporters to “help Mary Peltola get the assistance she needs” by contributing to both Peltola’s campaign and Harris’s Fight for the People PAC.

Harris emphasized her confidence in Peltola, saying, “If anyone can flip Alaska and give Democrats a Senate majority, it’s Mary. But she can’t do it alone.” She continued, encouraging collective support for Peltola to help her tackle campaign funding and organization challenges throughout Alaska.

However, Peltola, who previously flipped Alaska’s U.S. House seat blue in 2022, wasn’t interested in backing Harris’s call. “Mary is not seeking support from anyone in the Lower 48 states. Her focus is and remains on Alaska,” a spokesperson for Peltola mentioned, indicating her campaign’s disapproval of Harris’s fundraising email.

Harris herself faced a tough loss in Alaska, trailing Donald Trump by 14 points during the 2024 election. Interestingly, Peltola also refrained from endorsing Harris during that race.

After the email gained traction, Republican operatives quickly tried to associate Peltola with Harris. Nick Puglia, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, called Peltola a “powerless radical leftist” for her connection with Harris.

Peltola is among several candidates contending against the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in the bipartisan primary set for August 18. In this election, the top four candidates will advance to the November voting. It’s worth noting that Alaska hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.