‘Chaos’ Reigns In ‘Must-Win’ Senate Race For Dems

With control of the U.S. Senate hanging in the balance, Democrats are pushing to pick up seats anywhere they can — but reports out of Alaska suggest a storm may be brewing for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

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Peltola, according to several reports, will be going into Tuesday’s primary without her campaign manager, Anton McParland — who has been with Peltola since 2022 and previously served as her chief of staff.

The Alaska Landmine reported that several senior staffers were handed walking papers in what the outlet referred to as a “Saturday Night Massacre” — leaving other staffers wondering whether they might be next.

New York Times political reporter Kellen Browning appeared to confirm at least part of the Landmine’s story, writing on X, “This is true [a]nd Anton McParland, Peltola’s campaign manager and former chief of staff, is no longer with the campaign.”

McParland’s departure is particularly notable because of just how long — and how closely — he worked with Peltola. By her side since her breakthrough victory to land a U.S. House seat in 2022, he remained on her staff throughout her one term in Congress — first as her deputy chief of staff, then as her chief of staff.

After Peltola’s 2024 reelection loss, both she and McParland moved on to take roles at lobbying firm Holland & Hart in March 2025. When she launched her U.S. Senate run, he managed her campaign.

Prediction markets have Peltola’s race — against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) — as a virtual dead heat, but losing a longtime adviser and campaign manager just hours before the polls open could hurt voter confidence.

Alaska is broadly viewed as a “must-win” state for Democrats, who need to pick up four seats in the upper chamber to gain control — and a major campaign shake-up going into Tuesday’s primary does not project the kind of strong message that Peltola needs to send.

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Peltola also scrambled to do some damage control a few days prior, running away from the endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris’s Fight for the People PAC sent an email last Wednesday promoting Peltola, saying in part, “If there’s anyone who can flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats — it’s Mary.”

Peltola’s campaign quickly dismissed the email as unsolicited and said no one on the campaign had been aware of it before it went out: “Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 — her focus is and always will be Alaska.”

An endorsement from Harris, who performed poorly in Alaska in her 2024 presidential bid, is not expected to give Peltola any kind of boost — and being tied to Harris’s record and policies could put her at a disadvantage in the typically red state.

Thus far, it is unclear whether McParland’s exit is related to the campaign’s attempt to distance Peltola from Harris following that email.

But Peltola’s campaign shake-up is not the only complication dogging Alaska’s Senate race: incumbent Sen. Sullivan will be joined on the ballot by another candidate named Dan Sullivan — a retired 5th grade teacher who describes himself as a “pragmatic Republican.”

President Donald Trump and a number of others have suggested that his name on the ballot was an intentional move to confuse voters and damage the incumbent, but Democrats have denied any connection with his campaign.

Alaska’s “top four” primary — in which the top four candidates in every primary, regardless of party, advance to the general election — sets the stage for even more confusion in the general election, because both Dan Sullivans could see another face-off in November.

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