Alaska Independent Voters · 2026 Senate Race

The Numbers Don't Lie:
Who Actually Votes for Alaska?

One candidate crosses party lines. The other follows Washington's lead 91.5% of the time. The data tells the story.

Published May 2026  ·  Alaska Voter Intelligence

If you're an independent voter in Alaska, you've heard both sides claim they put Alaska first. But voting records — cold, hard numbers — reveal a striking difference between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan when it comes to partisan loyalty versus independent judgment.

Alaska has long prided itself on political independence. We split tickets. We elected Lisa Murkowski as a write-in candidate. We embraced ranked-choice voting. We are not a monolithic electorate — and that's something worth protecting as we look toward the 2026 Senate race.

So let's cut through the campaign ads and look at what the data actually shows.

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The Head-to-Head Comparison

These aren't opinions. These are voting records compiled by ProPublica and FiveThirtyEight — nonpartisan trackers that measure how often members of Congress vote with their party versus against it.

Dan Sullivan · R-Alaska

91.5%

Voted with Trump/party line
in the first administration

Mary Peltola · D-Alaska

12%+

Voted against her own party —
4th highest rate among House Democrats

Read that again. Sullivan sided with his party more than 9 out of 10 times. Peltola, by contrast, was one of the least loyal Democrats in the entire House of Representatives — bucking her own party on 78 separate votes since 2023, compared to an average House Democrat who crosses the aisle less than 6% of the time.

Party-Line Voting: How They Compare

Dan Sullivan — votes with GOP/Trump91.5%

91.5%

Average House Democrat — party loyalty94%+

94%

Mary Peltola — votes with Democrats~88%

~88%

Sources: ProPublica Congress API, FiveThirtyEight Congressional Vote Tracker

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What Did Peltola Cross the Aisle On?

This isn't just a number — context matters. Peltola's bipartisan votes weren't random protest votes. They were squarely in Alaska's interest:

• Energy development — she supported oil and gas projects that Washington Democrats often oppose
• Immigration enforcement — she took harder stances than her party's leadership
• Subsistence fishing rights — a uniquely Alaskan issue where she defied party orthodoxy to protect rural communities

She didn't vote against her party to score political points. She voted for Alaska — even when it cost her standing in the Democratic caucus.

"She's bucked the party on 78 votes since the start of 2023 — the fourth highest rate among House Democrats. The average House Democrat votes against the party less than 6% of the time."

— Alaska Public Media, citing ProPublica data

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And Sullivan?

Dan Sullivan is a capable senator and a patriot who served in the Marine Corps — that's not in dispute. But his voting record tells the story of a party loyalist, not an Alaskan independent.

A 91.5% Trump-aligned voting rate places Sullivan firmly in the mainstream of Republican senators — which is exactly the problem for Alaska. Washington's Republican priorities and Alaska's priorities don't always align. Rural energy policy, subsistence rights, fisheries management, and federal land access are uniquely Alaskan concerns that often don't fit neatly into either party's national agenda.

When the national GOP's priorities conflict with Alaska's — which they do, regularly — who do you want in that seat?

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The Independent Case for Peltola

This isn't an argument that Peltola is perfect, or that Sullivan is a bad senator. It's a simpler argument: Alaska's independent voters deserve a senator who votes independently.

Peltola's record in the House is the best evidence we have of how she'd approach the Senate. She joined the Blue Dog Coalition — the most centrist caucus in the Democratic Party. She earned an endorsement from Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski. She won statewide in 2022 in a year Trump carried Alaska — because Alaskans across party lines trusted her to put the state first.

In a polarized Washington where most members vote with their party over 94% of the time, a senator who crosses the aisle 12% of the time isn't a party traitor — she's a rarity. And for Alaska, she might be exactly what we need.

Share This With Your Independent-Minded Friends

Alaska's Senate race could determine the balance of the U.S. Senate. Independent voters have the power to decide it — but only if they're informed. Pass this along.

Sources

ProPublica Congress Voting Tracker — "Peltola's votes show she's one of the least loyal Democrats in the U.S. House," Alaska Public Media (March 2024)

FiveThirtyEight / ABC News Congressional Vote Tracker — Dan Sullivan party unity scores, 2017–2021

DemList — "Peltola Puts Alaska in Play" (January 2026)

NBC News — "Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola launches Alaska Senate run" (January 2026)

Newsweek — "Mary Peltola chances of beating Dan Sullivan" (January 2026)