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Peltola Postpones Campaign Events After Car Crash
Confirmed
In Short: Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola rescheduled campaign events after sustaining minor injuries in a car accident.
Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola sustained 'minor injuries' in a car accident on Saturday, her campaign announced Sunday. The incident occurred when another vehicle rear-ended Peltola's car at a red light in Anchorage, pushing it into a third vehicle.
Peltola and her family were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet when the crash happened. The police confirmed that the collision involved three vehicles and that those involved sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Cheryl Bruce, Peltola's campaign manager, stated that the candidate was in 'good spirits' but needed to reschedule events Sunday and Monday to recover. Peltola's 'Alaska Always Tour,' an eight-community, seven-day campaign swing, was hit by the accident.
Bruce added that Peltola is 'disappointed' the accident is delaying her campaign tour with just nine days until the midterm elections. The candidate is eager to resume speaking with Alaskans about her plans to lower costs for working families.
Peltola's campaign said she will resume events Tuesday, with a stop in Homer, Alaska. The campaign manager noted that medical professionals advised rescheduling events as Peltola takes time to recover.
The crash occurred in the vicinity of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention, where candidate events and campaign appearances had been underway over the weekend.
Peltola is running against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a race that recent polling suggests is highly competitive. An InsiderAdvantage poll showed Peltola leading Sullivan 50 percent to 48 percent in the ranked-choice contest.
Voters will have four choices, including Sullivan, Peltola, and another candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., whom Republicans have called a decoy in what they believe is a Democratic effort to confuse voters.
The incident has drawn attention as President Donald Trump has argued that ranked-choice voting is a 'TOTAL DEMOCRAT SCAM' meant to confuse voters and potentially lead to the election of a candidate who has never participated in politics before.
Peltola has outraised Sullivan through October, $33 million to nearly $14 million, but Sullivan reported having more campaign cash, $5.1 million to Peltola's $3.2 million.
What's confirmed
- October 25, 2026 / 1:32 PM EDT / CBS News Washington — Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola sustained "minor injuries" in a car accident, her campaign said Sunday.
- Bruce said at the advice of medical professionals, Peltola was rescheduling campaign events "as she takes time to recover."
- "Mary is disappointed that the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour, and she is eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families," Bruce said.
- Peltola and her family were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet when the vehicle transporting them was struck by another driver, her campaign said, causing injuries that required medical attention.
- Alaska’s Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and her family suffered minor injuries Saturday in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop, her campaign said.
- Peltola’s campaign manager, Cheryl Bruce, wrote in a statement that the candidate was in “good spirits” following the accident, but her medical providers recommended she reschedule events Sunday and Monday to recover.
- “Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits,” Peltola’s campaign manager, Cheryl Bruce, said in a statement.
- Former Rep. Mary Peltola is rescheduling several upcoming campaign events after she and her family sustained “minor” injuries in a car crash, her campaign announced on Sunday.
- Peltola, an Alaska Native and former congresswoman, is challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, hoping to become the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent the state in the Senate.
What's still developing
- Graduations, games or events, order prints of your favorites photos from The Herald Bulletin.
- Also read: He stopped the gunman, but the grief remains: Oregon father Kaylub Giamanco recounts confronting school shooter Peltola is 53.
- An Alaska Native and former congresswoman, Peltola is challenging Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in one of the country’s closely watched Senate contests.
- Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority, while Peltola is seeking to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Alaska since Mark Begich in 2008.
- The wreck and pause to campaigning come with Election Day drawing near, with just over a week until ballots are counted.
- Dan Sullivan to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate since 2008, four years after she became the first Democrat to represent the state in the House in 50 years.
- Republicans filed with Alaska’s Division of Elections to get the other Dan Sullivan off the ballot and initially succeeded, citing that Sullivan was not running in “good faith” and allegedly had ties to a Democrat strategist.
- According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 16, Peltola holds a less than 2-point lead over Sullivan.