Sullivan Alaska Senate Race: Walking the Line With Trump
The sullivan alaska senate race has become one of the most revealing contests of the 2026 midterms, with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan trying to hold Donald Trump’s support in a state the president carried by about 13 points in 2024 while carefully distancing himself from the White House’s most toxic issues.
Trump campaigned for Sullivan in Alaska this week, urging supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot” — a sign of how much Republicans fear losing a seat they have long treated as safe, with control of the Senate on the line.
Loyalty on Iran and Tariffs
Unlike several Republican candidates in tight races who have begun edging away from the president on issues like the Iran war and tariffs, Sullivan has largely held the line. He has been a vocal backer of the president’s posture on both fronts, even declining to join four of his Senate colleagues, including Alaska’s own Lisa Murkowski, in calling on Trump to reverse the decision to import Russian diesel.
Distance on the Epstein Files
The balancing act is most visible in the campaign’s advertising. Sullivan has run an ad boasting that he voted to force the Justice Department to release the Epstein files — an attempt to put distance between himself and the president on the issue. But the Senate record is messier: Sullivan first voted against a Democratic measure to compel the files’ release, before joining the unanimous vote for the Epstein Files Transparency Act that Trump signed into law last November.
Peltola has attacked from the other side. Her campaign’s ads have claimed Sullivan cast the deciding vote to keep the files hidden and then collected nearly $10,000 from two donors named in the Epstein files — donations Sullivan’s camp notes came from men never accused of wrongdoing.
A Crowded Ballot in a Ranked-Choice Race
Alaska’s ranked-choice system adds another layer of uncertainty. A same-name candidate, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan, is on the ballot, prompting the incumbent’s camp to brand him “Decoy Dan” — and prompting the Justice Department to issue subpoenas over whether his candidacy was designed to confuse voters.
The two senators sparred in a heated debate this week over Iran, gas prices and health care, with Sullivan insisting he voted to release the Epstein files and protect the victims.
Source: Politico