Escalation: Mary Peltola rejects Harris fundraising email

Kamala Harris’s Fight for the People PAC sent a fundraising email Wednesday urging supporters to back Mary Peltola in Alaska’s Senate race, calling it a must-win for Democrats. The appeal linked to a Democratic PAC page and asked donors to split contributions between Peltola’s campaign and Harris’s committee, and it did not use the word endorse. Peltola’s campaign said it is not seeking endorsements from outside Alaska and that it neither approved nor knew about the email before it went out.

Republicans quickly used the email to tie Peltola to Harris, including statements from the national Senate GOP arm and from Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign. Peltola’s pushback leaves Harris’s support as unsolicited and unaccepted, while the campaign highlighted backing from Alaska labor groups.

Harris’s PAC sent a similar solicitation the day Peltola launched her bid in January, and the new message landed four days before the state’s Aug. 18 nonpartisan primary. Peltola did not endorse Harris in 2024, and Harris lost Alaska by about 14 points.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources