ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska's major U.S. Senate candidates kicked off a televised debate Thursday in the high-stakes contest by clashing over the Iran war and trading sharp digs on issues from consumer prices to oil policy.
Two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said the war needs to end soon, but first he wants the Strait of Hormuz to open and a deal to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, said a deal is "so far out of sight" and lamented the deaths of 20 military personnel.
“This war is driving up our energy bills and hurting Alaskans with no end in sight,” she said.
Sullivan said the best way to bring down energy costs “is to produce more Alaskan energy by and for Alaskans.”
Visits by President Donald Trump Tuesday to conservative Wasilla and by Vice President JD Vance the week before to Fairbanks — the hometown of Sullivan's wife — underscore the stakes involved as both parties seek control of the chamber. Alaska last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2008.
The contest is playing out in a turbulent political year in which the war, soaring gas and diesel prices, and a rising cost of living have put the House and Senate up for grabs.
Before the debate, noisy supporters of both candidates gathered with signs — and at least one bullhorn — outside the Alaska Public Media studios.
The race also includes two Republicans who have done virtually no campaigning, including another Dan Sullivan. To participate in Thursday's debate, candidates had to win at least 5% of the vote in August's open primary.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who dominated attention ahead of the primary and was called a sham candidate by the senator and his allies, including Trump, finished third with about 2.5% of the vote. Dan J. Sullivan said he received no invitations to any candidate forums.
The incumbent, whom Trump repeatedly called the “real Dan Sullivan,” said the energy and enthusiasm generated by the rallies can be important in turning out his voters.
Sullivan finished second to Peltola in the August primary, in which the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advanced to the ranked vote general election. Sullivan, a retired Marine, said the race comes down to record, vision and character.
He said Peltola was ineffective during her time in Congress. But in an interview Wednesday, Peltola said she worked well with Sullivan as part of Alaska’s three-member congressional delegation and said he was engaging in “kind of revisionist history.”
"Our delegation worked so well together the two years that I was there," she said, citing as accomplishments the approval of the major Willow oil project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. Peltola won special and regular elections for the state's only House seat in 2022 before losing reelection in 2024.
Sullivan also has sought to align Peltola with "Lower 48 liberals" who oppose expanded oil and gas development. Oil is a crucial part of Alaska's economy, and Sullivan has said Peltola would "empower" Democrats seeking to roll back lands available for leasing.
Peltola called that claim a diversion from issues such as the war in Iran and high fuel and other costs. Peltola has said she is not beholden to party interests and would work with Trump to advance more oil and gas projects.
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