Alaska Senate Hopeful Mary Peltola Hurt in Three-Car Crash 9 Days Before Election
Democrat Mary Peltola and her family were injured Saturday night when another driver slammed into their vehicle on the way to a Native banquet in Anchorage — sidelining her campaign just over a week before Election Day.
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola sustained "minor injuries" in a car accident Saturday evening, her campaign confirmed, just nine days before Alaskans decide whether to send her to the U.S. Senate over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
Peltola and her family were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives' annual banquet in Anchorage when another driver struck the vehicle carrying them, triggering a three-vehicle collision. Anchorage police confirmed the crash and said everyone involved suffered "non-life threatening injuries," according to NBC News. The crash remains under investigation.
"THEY ARE IN GOOD SPIRITS," campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said of Peltola and her family, adding that the candidate is "disappointed" the crash is delaying the launch of her statewide "Alaska Always Tour."
On medical advice, Peltola is postponing campaign stops "as she takes time to recover," Bruce said. Events planned for Sunday and Monday, including stops in Fairbanks and Bethel, will be rescheduled later this week.
A race already under a legal cloud
The timing could hardly be worse for Democrats, who see Peltola — the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the House in 50 years — as having a real shot at becoming the state's first Democratic senator since 2008. She led the field in August's top-four primary and is challenging Sullivan, who is seeking a third term, in a race both parties now call unexpectedly competitive, fueled by voter anger over gas and grocery prices.
The crash also lands amid an already-tense legal fight over the race: the Justice Department sued Alaska election officials last week seeking to block certification of the results if Sullivan loses, citing alleged voter confusion from a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan on the ballot. Democrats filed a motion Saturday asking a federal judge to toss that suit. Republicans have accused Democrats of recruiting the duplicate-named candidate; Democrats have not claimed responsibility.
Bruce said Peltola remains eager to get back on the trail to press her closing message on cost-of-living and what she calls a "rigged system" — now with an even shorter runway before polls open November 3.