Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola exchange heated jabs in Alaska Senate debate: Top takeaways

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and former Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, exchanged jabs in the final televised debate between the top two Senate candidates in the 2026 cycle, with two weeks until the general election.The debate touched on topics from Iran and affordability to President Donald Trump and attacks on character. While neither landed a decisive blow, the heated duel helped to cement the stakes in each party’s eyes ahead of the midterm elections. Focus on Iran and energy Iran and energy prices were a key focus of the debate, with Peltola attempting to pin both the war and higher prices on her GOP rival. Sullivan attempted to distance himself from Trump, offering measured criticism of the war. When asked about Trump’s decision to go to war unilaterally, Sullivan said, “Congress definitely should have been consulted.”However, Sullivan still supported Trump’s war powers on Iran, as “the largest state sponsor of terrorism should not have nuclear weapons.” Despite this, he said that the war must end “soon.”He also conceded that the energy costs “from this war are too high,” but that the way to bring them back down was “to produce more energy by and for Alaskans.”Peltola, on the other hand, voiced support for ending the war without a peace deal, citing threats to the military.“There does not appear to be a peace deal on the horizon, and I think it’s so important that our military be removed and protected,” she said when asked if she supported ending the war without a peace deal.The war became central to her election pitch in the debate, saying it was “driving up our energy bills and hurting Alaskans with no end in sight.”Sullivan hones in on Peltola’s character The two candidates confronted accusations about their opponent’s personal character on the debate stage. Sullivan leaned into multiple reports that Peltola abused her staffers, using derogatory language behind the scenes.“Twenty-five staffers quit on Mary Peltola because she abused them physically and emotionally, and then she slanders every other group, African Americans, special needs individuals,” Sullivan said. “It is a character flaw on my opponent.”In one of her first public acknowledgments of the accusations, Peltola chalked it up to a few off days and “gossip.”“I do not think that this election is about me on my worst day, and I found so many of these allegations concerning and outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth,” she said.Pelotla took her own swipes at Sullivan’s character, accusing him of corruption and dishonesty.“I think that Alaskans have had it up to here with the lying and dishonesty,” she said in one of her most viral moments. “Dan, you should be ashamed of yourself.”Each candidate also sought to pin the other to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to which each countered with vigorous denials. The specter of Trump During the debate, Sullivan tried to separate himself from Trump on several policies while avoiding direct criticism of the president. He distanced himself from Trump on Ukraine, healthcare, and some of Trump’s past rhetoric. After he called out Peltola’s reported offensive remarks, she countered that he hadn’t pushed back on Trump’s past comments insulting women. Sullivan countered, saying he had pushed back on Trump’s previous insults against women.Policywise, Sullivan hit Trump on his handling of Ukraine, saying the diesel deal with Russia was “not a good idea.”“I just led the effort on a Russia sanctions act that passed Congress, so I’m opposed to that,” Sullivan said.“Sometimes I oppose the Trump administration,” he said at one point.The incumbent senator agreed with Peltola, saying a possible third term for Trump would be unconstitutional.TRUMP AND LUTNICK SAY TAIWAN WILL PURCHASE 30% OF NATURAL GAS PRODUCED BY ALASKA PIPELINE PROJECTA testy moment with notecards At several points in the debate, Peltola appeared to be reading from notecards, drawing a quick accusation from Sullivan of an inside job.“We weren’t supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?” he asked, prompting a vehement denial from the moderators.“OK. I’m just watching my opponent,” Sullivan replied.Peltola countered that she was better “prepared” than her opponent.While Sullivan dropped the accusation of an inside job, he leaned into her heavy use of cards, posting about it numerous times on X, saying she needed “cue cards” and was reading off a script.“Really, Mary? Reading off a script?” he said in one post. “You can’t cue-card your way through the Senate.”