Alaska Senate Democratic hopeful Mary Peltola suffered minor injuries in a car crash Saturday, temporarily sidelining her campaign, according to her team.
Peltola, 53, was en route to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet when her vehicle was hit by another car, forcing her to reschedule her campaign events slated for Sunday and Monday, her campaign said.
“Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits,” said Cheryl Bruce, Peltola’s campaign manager, in a statement.
“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 said.
Alaska’s Senate race has been deemed one of the seven toss-up contests by Cook Political Report in the battle to control the upper chamber.
Peltola had been embarking on an eight-day “Alaska Always Tour” in the final days before the Nov. 3 election when the accident occurred.
The candidate, who served in Congress from early 2023 through early 2025, has a 1.2 percentage point edge over her rival, incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R-Alaska), according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.
The race has faced controversy thanks to retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan’s presence as a hopeful. Dubbed by critics as “Decoy Dan,” he has faced scrutiny for having a near-identical name to the incumbent senator.
Last week, the Justice Department sued to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate race if Sen. Sullivan loses because of “Decoy Dan.”
“Decoy Dan” is registered as a Republican, despite admitting he voted for Democrats in recent presidential election cycles, attended a “No Kings” rally and engaged in other left-leaning activity.
