Former Rep. Mary Peltola raised $1.5 million in the first 24 hours of launching her U.S. Senate campaign in Alaska, her campaign said, marking a strong fundraising start in a race expected to be competitive.
According to her campaign, 96% of the contributions were $100 or less, and donors included individuals across Alaska, such as fishers, silversmiths, and train conductors. The campaign also reported signing up more than 500 volunteers on the first day.
“In just 24 hours, Alaskans made it clear that we’re ready to put Alaska first,” Peltola said in a statement.
Her one-day total surpassed Sen. Dan Sullivan’s third-quarter 2023 fundraising of roughly $1.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings. At the end of the year’s third quarter, Sullivan held nearly $4.8 million in cash on hand. His fourth-quarter filing was not yet posted by Tuesday night.
Democratic figures including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts sent fundraising appeals on Monday urging supporters to contribute to Peltola’s campaign. Funds raised through those appeals were split with their respective political committees.
Peltola’s entry into the race is seen as a key development for Senate Democrats as they look to gain seats in November. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has recruited several former lawmakers in an effort to flip control of the chamber.
Peltola previously won two statewide elections in Alaska, first in a 2022 special election to replace the late Rep. Don Young, then for a full House term later that year. She lost her seat in 2024 by 2.4 percentage points. In the same election, President Joe Biden lost Alaska by 13 points.
Sullivan has held Arizona’s Senate seat since 2014, when he unseated Democratic Sen. Mark Begich. After Peltola launched her campaign Monday, the Cook Political Report changed its rating of the race from “solid Republican” to “lean Republican.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has supported Peltola in past races, endorsed Sullivan on Monday.
