Scoop: Schumer courts Peltola for Alaska Senate race

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is quietly pressing former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) to plunge into the Alaska Senate race.Why it matters: Schumer (D-N.Y.) is trying to recruit his way out of a bad map. Landing Peltola would give him a third statewide winner to cause problems for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).Recapturing the majority is still an uphill battle for Democrats, but when they squint — and make some favorable assumptions about tariffs and the unpopularity of the "one big, beautiful bill" — they are starting to see a path back to 51 seats.The focus of Schumer's current charm offensive is Peltola, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska, and one of just two Democrats to do so this century.Democrats want to convince her to challenge Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who is up for reelection next year.Zoom out: In New Hampshire and Georgia, the state's popular GOP governors both took passes on the Senate, disappointing many in the party.Schumer got who he wanted in Ohio with former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D), and in North Carolina with former Gov. Roy Cooper (D).The more states Schumer puts in play, the more resources he will drain from national Republicans, who will have to spend heavily to retain their incumbents.Zoom in: Democrats have been laying the foundation for a challenge of Sullivan.A group associated with a Schumer-linked PAC earlier this year spent more than $600,000 on digital ads bashing Sullivan. The spots focused on the GOP's tax and spending cut package.Alaska's unique ranked-choice voting helped Peltola win a special election in 2022. She received 40 percent of the first round votes, while her two GOP candidates divided the remaining 60 percent.But after former GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin was eliminated for coming in third place, more of her supporters listed Peltola as their second choice, giving her a majority victory with 51.5 percent.In 2024, House Republicans worked to ensure that only their top vote winner in the primary — who ended up being Rep. Nick Begich — would stay in the race. Begich beat Peltola on the second ballot. What they're saying: "Chuck Schumer's best options in red state Senate races are losers like Mary Peltola," said the NRSC's Nick Puglia."She would be a standout candidate, which is probably why Sullivan is going around town griping about how nervous he is about next year," said the Senate Majority PAC's Lauren French. The bottom line: Similar to the dynamic in Ohio, there are some Alaska Democrats who would prefer Peltola run for governor.Recent polling showed Peltola would be the front runner for governor if she decided to run. Reporting suggests she's considering a gubernatorial bid.It's unclear how interested Peltola is in a Senate bid. She did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

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