Dem
47
GOP
53
Democrats need to flip four Senate seats to get control of that body. Maine and North Carolina are the easiest, and in a blue wave, will probably flip. Where are the other two coming from? Mary Peltola's announcement that she will take one for the team and run for the Senate instead of governor, despite the fact she might even be the favorite in the governor's race, is a hopeful sign.
If the first 24 hours are any indication, she will not want for funding. She raised $1.5 million in that period. Ninety-six percent of donations were $100 or less. Unlike states like North Carolina and Texas, where television time costs a fortune, Alaska is a cheap state, so $1.5 million goes a long way, and this is only the first 24 hours.
By way of comparison, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), her opponent, raised $1.2 million in all of Q3 of last year. He hasn't released his Q4 results yet. However, he had $4.8 million in the bank as of Oct. 1, 2025. There is every reason to believe that Peltola will be able to compete with Sullivan on the money front because she is a heroine to Democrats and Sullivan is a generic backbencher to Republicans.
What may be more important to Peltola than the money is that she also got 500 volunteers the first day. They can go out and talk to voters, give them leaflets about her, and so on. In the far-flung state, having snowboots on the ground is important. (V)