Alaska Senate Candidate Peltola Pauses Campaign After Car Crash
Seven Lights
Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Alaska’s US Senate seat, and her family sustained minor injuries in a multi-vehicle collision on Saturday while driving to a campaign event, her campaign said Sunday. Events in Fairbanks and Bethel were postponed, and she is scheduled to resume campaigning on Tuesday with a stop in Homer.
The family was en route to the Alaska Federation of Natives annual banquet when another vehicle struck the car carrying them, campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said. “Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits. 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. A campaign spokesperson said there was no reason to believe the crash was politically motivated.
The Anchorage Police Department said officers responded to a collision involving three vehicles at about 6.55pm on Saturday. Ms. Peltola’s family and the occupant of a second vehicle were taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries; the occupant of a third vehicle refused medical transport. The circumstances are under investigation.
The accident interrupted the opening of Ms. Peltola’s “Alaska Always” tour, an eight-stop push through the final week before the November 3 election. Bruce said she was “disappointed that the accident is delaying the start” of the tour and “eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families.”
Ms. Peltola, an Alaska Native and former member of the House, is challenging the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan, who is seeking a third term. She was the top vote-getter in August’s top-four primary and is seeking to become the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the Senate in nearly two decades. Two other candidates remain on the ranked-choice ballot.
The contest is tighter than expected, with Alaska voters tying Mr. Trump to high fuel and grocery prices. The president moved to tilt the race on Friday, ordering the Justice Department to block certification of the Senate election if Mr. Sullivan loses. The department’s suit cites potential voter confusion with another Republican on the ranked-choice ballot, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher.
Ms. Peltola’s campaign said the rescheduled events would take place later this week, beginning Tuesday in Homer.