‘No thanks, Kamala’: Democrat refuses Harris endorsement in crucial Senate race

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Kamala Harris urged supporters to help Democrat Mary Peltola flip Alaska’s Senate seat — but Peltola’s campaign says it never asked for or approved the endorsement.
“Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48,” her campaign declared.
There’s a reason: Harris lost Alaska to Trump by more than 13 points in 2024.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola.

There is just one little problem. Mary Peltola doesn’t seem particularly interested in being endorsed by Kamala Harris.

With Alaska’s crucial Aug. 18 primary just days away, Harris’s Fight for the People PAC sent a fundraising email Wednesday urging supporters to open their wallets for Peltola, the former Democratic congresswoman now trying to knock off Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

“If there’s anyone who can flip Alaska and secure the Senate majority for Democrats — it’s Mary,” Harris told supporters, according to reports.

Harris asked recipients to “contribute $10 or whatever you can afford.” A perfectly normal endorsement from the former Democratic vice president and 2024 presidential nominee, right?

Peltola’s campaign reacted roughly like somebody had left a dead salmon on the front porch. The campaign said it neither sought nor approved Harris’s fundraising appeal and didn’t even know it was coming.

Then came the line that tells you practically everything you need to know about the politics of this race:

“Mary isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48 — her focus is and always will be Alaska.”

Translation: Thanks, Kamala. Please stop helping.

Local Alaska reporting adds another interesting detail: Harris’s PAC had not donated money directly to Peltola’s campaign as of Thursday, according to federal campaign-finance records. Peltola’s camp instead pointed to endorsements from Alaska labor organizations.

Republicans, naturally, are delighted to help voters remember who just endorsed her. “No matter how hard Mary Peltola tries to hide from the endorsement, Alaskans can see exactly whose team she and Kamala Harris are on,” Sullivan spokesman Nate Adams said.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee piled on as well, accusing Peltola of having worked “hand in hand with Kamala Harris to put Alaska last.” And if you’re wondering why Peltola’s campaign reacted to a former Democratic vice president’s endorsement as though it had received an unexpected package marked FRAGILE — POLITICAL EXPLOSIVES, the 2024 election results provide a clue. Donald Trump received 54.54% of Alaska’s presidential vote. Kamala Harris got 41.41%. That’s a 13-point-plus shellacking and a difference of more than 44,000 votes.

In other words, Harris may be a useful fundraising name in Manhattan, Los Angeles or Washington. In Alaska? Not so much.

And Peltola apparently figured this out long before this week. When Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and Harris became the Democratic standard-bearer, Peltola conspicuously refused to endorse her. Asked about Harris at the time, Peltola said she was “keeping an open mind” and emphasized Alaska’s energy economy. “As the representative for Alaska, my number one job is looking at our economy and our energy situation,” she said.

Peltola was asked directly — twice — whether she would vote for Harris or Trump and initially declined to say. She later clarified that she wasn’t voting for Trump but still wouldn’t endorse Harris. So this week’s Harris-Peltola awkwardness didn’t exactly come out of nowhere.

Even independent Alaska state Rep. Rebecca Himschoot, who supports Peltola, reportedly called Harris’s intervention “really dumb.” “She’s riding Mary Peltola’s coattails,” Himschoot said, adding that Harris “didn’t do well here to begin with.”

Ouch.

And the stakes aren’t small.

Peltola is a serious challenger to Sullivan. She won Alaska’s House seat in 2022 before Republican Nick Begich defeated her in 2024. Now she’s attempting a comeback in a Senate contest that could help determine control of the chamber.

Recent polling underscores why Democrats are excited about the opportunity — and why Peltola might be so protective of her Alaska-first image. A July Siena College poll had Sullivan leading Peltola 47% to 45%, while earlier Alaska Survey Research polling had shown Peltola ahead. The race is plainly competitive.

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