Suddenly, Alaska Is in Play
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/opinion/politics/alaska-mary-peltola-senate.html
Widely considered the only Democrat with a prayer of making that race competitive, Ms. Peltola is a big get for Schumer & Company. She is the last building block in a precarious electoral strategy the party has been working on for months, as it coaxed top-tier contenders into races in North Carolina, Ohio, Maine (where a hot primary rages) and now Alaska. She has given the party a shot of hope — and a boost that extends beyond the ultimate outcome of her race.
“Cost is our No. 1 issue,” said Mr. Schumer, who, starting this week, will give a series of speeches laying out the party’s plans to lower the costs of housing, child care, groceries and, of course, health care. The Democrats have worked to make President Trump’s assault on health care coverage, including killing the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies and slashing Medicaid, a hot issue. (See: last year’s government shutdown.) This could wind up resonating in Alaska, which relies heavily on Medicaid.
If you really want to dig into the electoral nitty-gritty, forcing the G.O.P. to bleed money in red states helps the entire blue team. Every $5 million that Republicans must spend trying to protect Dan Sullivan in Alaska is $5 million that cannot go toward unseating, say, the Democratic senator Jon Ossoff in Georgia.