Mary Peltola Injured in Three-Car Crash, Pauses Alaska Senate Campaign in Final Stretch

Former Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska, is rescheduling campaign events after she and her family were hurt in a three-car crash in Anchorage on Saturday night.

The collision happened at about 6:55 p.m. at O’Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway, the Anchorage Police Department said. A westbound vehicle struck the rear of Peltola’s vehicle, which was stopped at a red light, and pushed it into a third car.

Peltola, her family members and the driver of the vehicle that hit them were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The occupant of the third car declined transport. The crash remains under investigation.

Peltola was on her way to the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual banquet when the crash occurred, NBC News reported. A campaign spokesperson said there was no reason to believe it was politically motivated.

“Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement Sunday.

“Unfortunately, per the advice of medical professionals, Mary’s upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel will be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover.”

Bruce said Peltola is “disappointed that the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour” and is “eager to get back on the campaign trail.”

The tour had been set to open in Fairbanks on Sunday and Bethel on Monday. Peltola is still scheduled to appear in Homer on Tuesday, and the tour ends Oct. 31 in Palmer, Alaska’s News Source reported.

A Sullivan campaign spokesperson told the station that the campaign hopes “everyone involved is okay.”

A Tight Race Under a Legal Cloud

The crash comes nine days before the Nov. 3 election in one of the closest Senate races in the country. Sullivan is seeking a third term in a state Trump carried by 13 points in 2024.

Peltola won a House seat in 2022 but narrowly lost her reelection bid two years later. Recent polls show her with a slight edge. The 270toWin polling average puts her at 47% to Sullivan’s 44.8%.

A third candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, polls at 3.5%. His name is at the center of a federal fight over the race that has drawn national attention.

The Justice Department sued Alaska on Oct. 22, seeking to block certification if Sen. Sullivan loses and votes for the similarly named candidate would have changed the outcome, CNBC reported. Trump has said he ordered the suit.

Democrats and voting-rights groups have challenged the case. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in general elections, which could stretch the final count beyond Election Day.

Peltola is the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, and the Federation of Natives convention is one of the state’s largest annual political gatherings, drawing candidates from both parties.

Her campaign has centered on cost of living. Bruce said Peltola wants to talk with Alaskans “about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families.”

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