Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola drew mockery from Republicans Thursday night after she was seen referring to a notecard with bullet points during a debate against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Sullivan, who is locked in an unusually tight race with Peltola, addressed the moment directly on X: “Really, Mary? Reading off a script? You can’t cue-card your way through the Senate.”
Other Republicans joined in. NRSC official Joanna Rodriguez wrote, “Mary, blink twice if you are okay. It seems you can’t string a sentence together without reading from the talking points your Lower 48 handlers wrote you.” A separate social media user wrote that Peltola “can’t read her name or that she’s a grandmother without needing a cue card.”
During the debate itself, after Peltola appeared to consult her notes again, Sullivan paused to ask moderators, “We weren’t supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?” Alaska’s News Source reporter Wil Courtney replied, “No sir. Absolutely not,” and Alaska Public Media chief editor Lori Townsend added, “Absolutely not.” Sullivan responded, “OK. I’m just watching my opponent.”
Peltola defended her approach, telling the audience she was simply better “prepared.”
The Republican Party’s research arm also posted a clip of Peltola reading from her card, writing that she “did not introduce a single bill to help Alaska fisherman during her first term in Congress” and “has to read off of a script when talking about Alaska’s fishing industry.”
Staff Allegations Turn Debate Personal
The exchange grew more heated when Sullivan confronted Peltola over reporting from The New York Times alleging she mistreated former staffers, with Sullivan claiming 25 employees had quit while working for her.
Peltola called the allegations “outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth” and argued the election shouldn’t be about her “worst day.” Moderators intervened to call for decorum, warning that microphones could be cut if the candidates kept interrupting each other. Sullivan maintained the allegations pointed to a pattern of behavior, while Peltola accused him of exploiting the controversy politically.
Gas Pipeline Questions Linger
Candidates also fielded questions about Alaska’s long-discussed liquefied natural gas pipeline, after moderators noted that South Korea had not committed to investing in the project despite President Trump’s public promotion of a potential deal.
Sullivan defended the administration’s work, saying Seoul had committed funding through a broader trade agreement, though he acknowledged the specific investment figure remains under negotiation. Peltola voiced support for the pipeline but warned against overpromising, saying Alaska shouldn’t be “promoting falsehoods that just have no substance.”
A Race With National Stakes
Peltola made history as the first Democrat in decades to represent Alaska in the House, winning the seat after the death of Republican Rep. Don Young. Her bid to unseat Sullivan now carries outsized national significance as Republicans work to defend their narrow Senate majority in a state President Trump carried in 2024.
The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, placing Alaska among the handful of battlegrounds likely to decide which party controls the Senate come January.
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