A pair of polls in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race show the contest is likely to be a nail-biter in which the ranked-choice voting method will play a decisive role in the outcome.
Alaska voters in 2020 approved moving to the controversial ranked-choice system aided by left-wing dark money groups. A group called Alaskans for Better Elections backed the measure, funded by a Denver, Colorado, nonprofit that supports electoral reform efforts to the benefit of left-wing candidates.
In polling released on Thursday, an AARP Voter Survey conducted by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research found former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola leading Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan with 46 percent to 41 percent; after ranked choice allocations, the final margin ended at 53 percent for Peltola and 47 percent for Sullivan.
However, a Co/Efficient poll also released on Thursday gave Sullivan a 49 percent to 46 percent lead over Peltola.
Republicans hold three of the four spots on the general election ballot after Democrats manipulated the state’s primary with chicanery.
A left-wing activist with the same name as the two-term senator filed for the office and told the New York Times he voted for the Democrat nominee in the last three presidential elections and did not vote for the senator in his previous two campaigns. He said he backed Peltola in her 2022 and 2024 U.S. House bids and has donated to her and other Democrats.
Before jumping in the Senate race, Peltola cashed in on her two terms in Congress, as she and her chief of staff landed jobs at a lobbying firm. While serving in the U.S. House, Peltola at one point missed 40 percent of votes in the summer of 2024, leading some Alaska voters to wonder what her true priority was in representing them.
The AARP poll gave Democrats twice as bad approval as Republicans in the state, with a -14 point disapproval compared to -7 for the GOP. Independents favored Peltola in the poll, with the widest margin coming in the one-on-one matchup with Sen. Sullivan.
It’s better news in Co/Efficient’s survey for Republicans, as Sullivan’s personal brand ranks higher than Peltola’s. Sullivan was viewed favorably with 46 percent compared to 45 percent disapproving, while Peltola was at 41 percent approval and 47 percent disapproving.
