FactCheck.org: “TV ads from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and a super PAC supporting him… misleadingly claim that Peltola opposed military pay raises. She didn’t.”
ALASKA – An independent fact check confirms what Alaskans already know: Mary Peltola has always stood with Alaska servicemembers. In a searing indictment of Dan Sullivan and his super PAC allies’ “mislead[ing]” ads about Mary, FactCheck.org debunked their false claims that Mary opposed military pay raises, and validated Mary’s track record of fighting and delivering for Alaska servicemembers and military families.
Despite the “mislead[ing]” ads from the Sullivan campaign and affiliated super PACs, Mary has always put Alaska veterans first and will continue to do so as Alaska’s next Senator. She fought for and delivered a 5.2% pay increase – the biggest in decades – for our troops, secured more funding for veterans’ healthcare, and brought home hundreds of millions of dollars for Alaska military bases.
Factcheck.org: Alaska Senate Race Ads Mislead on Peltola’s Votes on Military Pay Raise
July 9, 2026
- Ads in the Alaska Senate race are trading competing claims about former Rep. Mary Peltola’s votes on military pay raises.
- In late 2023, Peltola, a Democrat, voted in favor of a compromise defense bill that included a 5.2% pay increase for members of the military. Earlier that year, she voted against a House version of the bill that included several Republican amendments she opposed.
- TV ads from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and a super PAC supporting him take advantage of that bit of legislative messiness to misleadingly claim that Peltola opposed military pay raises. She didn’t.
- Rather, her votes reflect the political reality at the time. The House was controlled by Republicans and the Senate by Democrats (when including the independents who caucused with them). In the House bill, Republicans added several amendments, which Peltola and other Democrats criticized as partisan “poison pills.” Many of those Republican amendments were stripped away in a compromise conference report negotiated between the House and Senate.
- Peltola, who served for two and a half years in the House, is now challenging Sullivan for his Senate seat. An open “jungle” primary guided by Alaska’s ranked-choice voting will be held on Aug. 18. The top four vote-getters will advance to the November general election. The race is rated a toss-up by Cook Political Report.
- We reached out to the Sullivan campaign but did not get a response. A spokesperson for Peltola’s campaign said the ads are “lying about her record.”
- “As the mother of two coasties, as an Alaskan, and as an American, Mary has always stood with our servicemembers and veterans who sacrifice to ensure our safety and freedom – securing the biggest pay raise for our troops in decades and fighting to expand benefits for servicemembers, veterans, and their families,” the spokesperson said.
- Both of the pro-Sullivan ads cite Peltola’s July 2023 vote in the House against a National Defense Authorization Act bill, which included a 5.2% raise for members of the military.
- At the time, Peltola called it “one of the most difficult votes I’ve ever had to take.” She specifically criticized Republican amendments added to the bipartisan bill, including one that would have limited abortion access for military personnel.
- “We shouldn’t be pitting pay raises that they [military members] deserve against the reproductive freedoms that they also deserve,” Peltola said in a prepared statement at the time. “That is a false choice, created for purely political reasons, and I look forward to negotiations with the Senate’s version of the bill where this issue will be discussed further. I will advocate strongly to return to the bipartisan, policy-focused bill that came out of committee, and will gladly vote for a bill that fully protects our troops and their families.”
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