The last Democrat elected to statewide office, former Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola, is about even in a head-to-head match with Republican United States Sen. Dan Sullivan, a new poll shows.
Peltola hasn’t declared her intention to run in any race for 2026, but is considered a potential candidate for Senate or governor.
The progressive firm Data for Progress conducted the poll at its own expense. Jason Katz-Brown, an Anchorage-based advisor at the firm, said the results in the Senate race are largely holding steady from its last poll.
“Earlier this summer we had her down by one [percentage point]. Now we have her up by one, but that's well within the margin of error," Katz-Brown said. "I think we can't conclude anything about that race. It's just super, super close if Peltola were to run for Senate.”
The poll also had Peltola leading in a field of nine candidates for governor – the others being Republicans who actually are running for the office.
It shows Anchorage businesswoman Bernadette Wilson in second place. But once lower-ranking Republicans are removed, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson comes in second.
A large factor is name recognition, Katz-Brown said.
Pollster Ivan Moore of Alaska Survey Research said the Data for Progress results mostly track his own findings – that Peltola leads the field in the governor’s race. But, Moore points out, the other candidates have not had a chance to campaign yet.
“So the idea that this is going to be a cake walk and she can just stroll into the governor's office is misguided," Moore said. "She's just streaks ahead of everyone else because she's built this following, but it's not going to be the same in a year.”
The latest poll found Alaskans evenly split on whether they have a favorable opinion of President Donald Trump. The poll had 823 respondents and the pollsters used weighted averages to better reflect Alaska voters.
