Sullivan campaign links Peltola to Harris after fundraising-email rejection

Donations split between Harris’s PAC and Peltola campaign

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan’s campaign moved within hours to tie Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to Kamala Harris, after the Peltola campaign publicly rejected a fundraising email Harris sent to Peltola’s supporters earlier this week. Sullivan’s campaign cited Harris’s double-digit 2024 loss in Alaska.

The email, signed “Kamala Harris,” was sent through the former vice president’s political organization. It told recipients that “If there’s anyone who can flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats — it’s Mary.” The message did not explicitly endorse Peltola, framing itself as a fundraising appeal rather than a political endorsement.

The email asked donors to give to Fight for the People PAC, the political action committee Harris established after leaving office. Contributions were split between Harris’s organization and Peltola’s campaign.

That framing did not prevent the Peltola campaign from distancing itself within hours. “Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 — her focus is and always will be Alaska,” a Peltola spokesperson said in a statement to KTUU, invoking Alaska’s term for the contiguous United States. The statement highlighted endorsements from the American Federation of Government Employees, the Alaska AFL-CIO, Alaska IBEW Local 1547, and more than 10,000 Alaska-based volunteers who had signed up to support the campaign.

Sullivan’s spokesperson Nate Adams said in a statement: “Kamala Harris supported the Biden administration’s disastrous anti-Alaska agenda, which is why Alaskans rejected her by double digits.” Adams added: “Alaskans can see exactly whose team Mary Peltola and Kamala Harris are on, and it isn’t Alaska’s.”

Harris lost Alaska to Donald Trump by 13 points in her 2024 presidential run, according to election results. The Peltola campaign has consistently framed the former US House member as a moderate Democrat focused on Alaska-specific issues rather than national party politics.

The episode surfaces as Harris weighs another presidential run. Earlier this year, civil rights leader Al Sharpton asked Harris about her future ambitions during a public appearance. “Listen, I might, I might. I’m thinking about it, I’m thinking about it,” Harris replied.

Harris previously ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and served as vice president under Joe Biden. After questions about Biden’s fitness became inescapable during the 2024 campaign, Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket with 107 days until Election Day. She lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College to Donald Trump, who won a second presidency.