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Alaska Senate primary set
In Alaska’s U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former congresswoman Mary Peltola advanced to November’s general election, setting up a contest seen as pivotal for control of the U.S. Senate.
“Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former congresswoman Mary Peltola advanced to November’s general election on Tuesday”
The Associated Press reported that Sullivan and Peltola would face off after the primary, with the race expected to be costly because it could determine the balance of power in the Senate.
At Peltola’s watch party at 49th State Brewing in downtown Anchorage, she told supporters that just one member of Alaska's delegation to Congress is working for the state, a reference to Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
Peltola also criticized Trump administration policies, from job cuts to reducing Medicaid, and knocked Sullivan for not opposing them, saying, “Dan Sullivan, every single vote, votes along with corporate greed.”
Dueling Dan Sullivan
The Alaska Senate primary also featured a second Republican candidate named Dan Sullivan, with the AP describing how Dan J. Sullivan won a legal fight to appear on the ballot despite claims by the senator and GOP allies that he was a sham candidate.
CBS News projected that Sullivan and Peltola were among those advancing to the general election in November, while noting that the other two candidates had not yet been determined.
Trump’s involvement sharpened the dispute, with the Alaska Public Media report saying that in a social media post early Tuesday, Trump called the other Sullivan an “imposter.”
Petersburg Dan Sullivan told Alaska Public Media that he was tired of seeing his name associated with positions he “abhors,” saying, “Having my representative share my name and continually do a job that, in my opinion, is not what helps people of Alaska.”
National money and next phase
Beyond Alaska, Tuesday’s primaries in Florida and Wyoming were also framed as narrowing fields for November’s midterm elections, with ABC News saying primaries in three states would narrow the field in key Senate, House and governors’ races.
“Primaries in 3 states Tuesday will narrow the field in key Senate, House and governors’ races”
In Alaska, the Alaska Public Media report said money from around the country was flooding into the campaigns, with Sullivan having raised nearly $12 million by the end of July and Peltola having raised more than $18 million.
ABC News projected that Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds would win the Republican nomination for governor, while the AP projected that Donalds would face former Republican Rep. David Jolly in the Democratic primary.
With the Alaska Senate race among those rated as tossups, Alaska Public Media reported that newly created super PACs spent more than $3 million to elevate minor candidates, hoping they would draw votes away from one of the major candidates.