Sullivan and Peltola clash in Alaska debate as attacks, culture-war accusations eclipse policy
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Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola traded accusations in a heated televised debate, with Sullivan leaning on partisan attacks and Peltola rejecting claims she called exaggerated or fabricated.
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Congresswoman Mary Peltola clashed over affordability, Alaska’s energy future and personal conduct during Thursday night’s "Debate for the State." The candidates repeatedly talked over each other, and each tried to paint the other as dishonest while substantive answers often got lost in the noise.
Supporters gathered outside the Alaska Public Media studio, with some, such as Loren Baxter, praising Sullivan’s military background and his efforts to reverse executive orders from the previous administration.
Sullivan cited a New York Times report that quoted former Peltola staffers accusing her of angry outbursts and derogatory language toward gay people and people with disabilities. Peltola rejected the claims, saying she found the allegations "concerning and outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth."
When asked why he had not condemned President Donald Trump’s remarks as strongly as he condemned the alleged comments about Peltola, Sullivan said he had denounced the president’s language, citing his 2015 criticism of Fox News host Megyn Kelly and a later rebuke of Trump’s remarks about the late Sen. John McCain.
Sullivan asserted that Peltola voted against a pay raise for military officials, a claim she disputed, noting that her two sons, both former enlisted personnel, were on food stamps and that she supported a pay raise that had not occurred in a decade.
He also alleged that Peltola opposed a version of the National Defense Authorization Act because she wanted more transgender surgeries for troops. Peltola countered that the bill would have limited women’s reproductive health care and that she voted for two other versions of the NDAA.
Sullivan accused Peltola of running ads that suggested he received donations from allies of Jeffrey Epstein. He said he has spent his career defending survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and had voted to release the Epstein files. Peltola responded that she does not control ads produced by political action committees.
Moderator Lori Townsend confirmed that neither candidate received the questions in advance, and Sullivan told the debate hosts he believed the process was fair. The next Senate election is scheduled for Nov. 3.