WHAT THEY’RE SAYING: Mary Peltola “Shows Strength” as “Bullish Result” Provides “Huge Warning Sign” for “Underperform[ing]” Dan Sullivan

New York Times: “Ms. Peltola was more than five percentage points — or nearly 8,000 votes — ahead of Mr. Sullivan with 80 percent of ballots counted. She has been seen as the only Democrat who could pose a formidable challenge to Mr. Sullivan, a two-term incumbent running in a conservative state known for its independent streak”

Reuters: “Mary Peltola posted a strong result in the state’s nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate, drawing more votes than incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan”

In a “huge warning sign” for an “underperform[ing]” Dan Sullivan, former commercial fisherman and lifelong Alaskan Mary Peltola led the field by “more than five percentage points” in the Alaska Senate primary – a “very strong” and “bullish result” for “one of Democrats’ best bets for flipping a US Senate seat.”

Election analysts are saying this is “​​about the best poll you can have going into November” and could “justify shifting this race already to lean Dem from tossup” as Peltola poses a “formidable challenge” to Sullivan, one of the least-popular senators in the country.

See for yourself: 

MS NOW: Alaska Dem Senate Race Now a Toss-Up

MS NOW Political Director SHAWNA THOMAS: “[Mary Peltola’s] ability to come out on top in that nonpartisan primary […] plus Mary Peltola has run statewide before and come out on top because, as a House member, it is just one big House seat in Alaska, so she’s been challenged like that before and won. And putting all of that together with last night’s results, we decided to move the race to toss-up. So this creates another path for Democrats to possibly take back the Senate.”

New York Times: Peltola Shows Strength in Crucial Alaska Senate Contest

• Mary Peltola, the Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, was leading Dan S. Sullivan, the Republican incumbent, in an incomplete primary vote count early Wednesday, giving hope to Democrats who seek to flip the seat in their bid to regain control of the Senate.
• Both Ms. Peltola and Mr. Sullivan advanced to the general election, according to The Associated Press.
• But Ms. Peltola was more than five percentage points — or nearly 8,000 votes — ahead of Mr. Sullivan with 80 percent of ballots counted. She has been seen as the only Democrat who could pose a formidable challenge to Mr. Sullivan, a two-term incumbent running in a conservative state known for its independent streak.
• An Alaska Native, Ms. Peltola is a former commercial fisher and a former state legislator. She rose to political stardom with an upset win for the state’s only House seat in 2022, becoming the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the House in decades.

Reuters: Democrats See a Northern Light in Alaska  

• In Alaska […] centrist ​Democrat Mary Peltola posted a strong result in the state’s nonpartisan primary for U.S. Senate, drawing more votes than incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan. The two will face off in November in what Democrats see as one of their best ​pickup opportunities. Alaska has not had a Democratic senator since 2014.
• With 93% of precincts reporting, Peltola was taking 48% of the vote, compared with 42.8% for Sullivan.

Bloomberg: Alaska Primary Previews Race That May Tip Senate Majority

• Democrat Mary Peltola and incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan will advance in Alaska’s Senate primary, setting the state up to be one of the most fiercely contested races in November that could determine control of the US Senate.
• With 80% of votes counted early Wednesday, Peltola had 48% support while Sullivan had 42.8%, according to the Associated Press.
• Peltola, an Alaska Native, is considered one of Democrats’ best bets for flipping a US Senate seat, having won the state’s sole House seat in a special election and again in the 2022 midterms.
• The political debate in Alaska thus far has focused on the cost of living with Alaskans facing the highest prices in the country for heating fuel and goods that have to travel long distances to reach consumers. The price of fuel, especially diesel, has climbed since the US started bombing Iran in February.
• Democrats have sought to tie the leading Sullivan to Trump administration initiatives to cut the federal workforce and restrict Medicaid, as well as the ongoing war with Iran.
• Cross-party support is essential in Alaska elections, which are uniquely structured to encourage appeals to independents and persuadable voters. The top four candidates in the primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election. The November ballot is then conducted via ranked choice voting.
• Peltola is sticking with her prior slogan: “Fish, Family, Freedom,” and she has promised to be an independent voice for Alaska.
• Elections often turn on Alaska-specific issues. One such flashpoint has been the bycatch from large trawlers that pick up unintended marine animals and damage the ocean floor. The practice has been faulted for declines in local fish populations, including salmon and halibut.
• Peltola has pledged to ban factory trawling […]