Democrat Mary Peltola is widening her lead over Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in the race for the Alaska U.S. Senate seat as the pair are set to debate Thursday night. Peltola has trended higher than Sullivan in several recent polls, fueling hopes that Democrats can reclaim a Senate seat they haven't held since early 2015, after Mark Begich lost his re-election bid in 2014 to Sullivan, now the incumbent.
The debate comes only days after President Donald Trump traveled to Alaska on Tuesday to shore up Sullivan’s reelection bid, making a rare campaign stop as Republicans seek to retain control of Congress. Thursday's debate will take place from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Similar debates were already held for the U.S.
House and gubernatorial races. Newsweek reached out to Peltola's and Sullivan's campaigns by email for comment on Thursday afternoon. Alaska is one of several tight Senate races this year as Democrats strive to win the majority and flip control of the upper chamber.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. While Republicans have won Alaska in every presidential election since 1968, the state has opted for a split ticket in past races when it comes to congressional and gubernatorial races. Peltola previously won the election for U.S.
Representative in 2022 and is now vying for the Senate. A New York Times summary of recent polls finds Peltola leading Sullivan in three since late September. Earlier this month, Sabato's Crystal Ball, based out of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, moved the Alaska race to "Leans Democratic" from its previous "Toss-Up" ranking, another sign that Democrats are gaining ground in the race.
Peltola leads Sullivan in the most recent polls by a margin of 2 to 7 percentage points depending on the poll. She leads Sullivan by 6 points in the latest InsiderAdvantage poll, which surveyed 1,200 likely voters between October 9 and October 10. The poll showed Peltola at 48.2 percent in the first round, against 42.6 percent for Sullivan.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
