A wave of unusually heavy negative advertising has hit Alaska’s airwaves targeting US Sen. Dan Sullivan, despite the fact that no legitimate Democrat has formally launched a campaign against him.
From Dec. 2 through Dec. 7, a total of 11 political advertisements related to Alaska’s 2026 US Senate race aired statewide and in the state’s major media markets. Seven of those ads carried a negative tone aimed directly at Sullivan, according to ad monitoring data reviewed by The Alaska Story.
Overall spending during the period totaled roughly $102,000, a slight decrease from the prior week’s approximately $116,000. But the balance of messaging skewed heavily negative: Negative ads outspent positive ads by roughly a 6-to-1 margin.
The negative advertising focused on trade, energy, health care, inflation, and taxation, with nearly all of the spending placed on connected television. In total, negative expenditures reached $86,706, all of it on CTV platforms.
By contrast, positive ads, while fewer and significantly lower in total spending, emphasized Sullivan’s role in protecting Medicaid, supporting Medicare, and backing premium tax credits. Several of the positive messages encouraged viewers to “thank Dan Sullivan” for strengthening health care programs.
The negative campaigns were funded by a collection of outside groups, including Duty and Honor, Majority Forward, and The 907 Initiative, all groups aligned with Democrats. Majority Forward alone ran multiple variations of ads attacking Sullivan on health care, character, inflation, and trade, with spots airing statewide in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. The 907 Initiative also ran multiple ads criticizing Sullivan on inflation, trade, energy, and health care across the same markets.
Majority Forward has received funding from the shadowy Arabella Advisors network (now Sunflower Strategies), including the Tides Foundation, Tides Advocacy, the NEO Philanthropy Action Fund, the Sixteen Thirty Fund, the Environmental Defense Action Fund, the American Health Care Association, Fair Share, Intercontinental Exchange PAC, the National Education Association, and bankrupt cryptocurrency firm FTX, according to Influence Watch.
Duty and Honor’s “You Name It” ad similarly targeted Sullivan on trade and health care and ran statewide in Alaska’s three largest media markets.
On the positive side, American Advancement Inc., One Nation, and the Senate Opportunity Fund sponsored supportive ads. American Advancement ran two pro-Sullivan spots in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau highlighting health care and tax issues. One Nation’s ad aired exclusively on CTV in Anchorage, while the Senate Opportunity Fund placed ads in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
The disparity in tone and spending is notable given the absence of an announced Democratic challenger in the race. No credible Democratic candidate has filed or launched a formal campaign against Sullivan for 2026, yet outside groups are already investing heavily in attack messaging more than two years before the election; many are hoping former congresswoman Mary Peltola will come into the race in early 2026.
While positive messages exist, they are being drowned out by an aggressive and early barrage of negative advertising aimed at Alaska’s conservative senator, long before voters have been presented with an actual opponent.
Sullivan faces two currently declared opponents: Ann Diener, a Democrat, and Richard Grayson of the Green Party. Neither has reported any income to their campaigns to the Federal Election Commission. Sullivan has $4,760,088.63 cash on hand in his campaign account.
16 thoughts on “Negative ads keep pounding Sen. Dan Sullivan, but there’s still no viable opponent for ’26”
Those ads are so phony they make me laugh. I especially like the ads with two different frog-brain woman being recorded by a phony cellphone camera in two different settings but likely the same studio. The ads are so unconvincing I have to laugh. And, then, they show a Washington, DC phone number as a contact. Undoubtedly, it will be a recording and will capture your caller ID for future grifting.
That’s Sullivan’s phone number, dummy.
Maybe former Senator Mark Begich is planning a comeback. I personally like him but do not like his politics. He is a political animal. Hotel redevelopment may be getting boring. Chuckie Schumer certainly owes him.
I walked the beach today in my seaside town. Saw a jellyfish dead and frozen stiff in the wrack line. An ignominious death but could be worse – could be Trump suckass Dan Sullivan.
Is that some kind of death threat against a US Senator?
The way you lefties ramble on and include violence in virtually all of your thoughts it wouldn’t be surprising that this would be your stream of consciousness making a death threat.
TDS can wreak havoc anywhere including a frozen beach. Interesting analogy.
You seem nice.
/s
I’ll vote for Sully again, seems to be doing a good job for Alaska and Alaskans.
I am unclear how these ads are allowed by reputable news organizations since they are so full of obvious lies. I guess money talks. But this BS still walks.
They are paid advertisements, brought to by that ” banned” dark money, remember that promise that brought us jungle primaries and Rank Choice voting. The selling point was ” getting dark money out of our politics “. Pepperidge Farms remembers
They literally have citations for everything and the votes are very easy to look up. Or you could just be a sheep.
The lefts strategy is bizarre, they are pouring thousands of $$ into a campaign with no candidate to run against Sullivan. The left has no moral compass and that’s why they lie, lie, lie. Sullivan is one of the most effective members in the senate and represents Alaska well.
The negative messaging from the Left Marxist orgs will continue unabated thru to election day. Now, why would the Soros Matrix spend millions dogging the heels of one (1) Alaska senator in a state of 732,000 residents? They want a twin to the compromised Murkowski in Sullivan’s seat. Because they want the Left Coast “colored” blue from San Diego to Utqiagvik. That’s why. When that mission is complete, all the major towns & cities will miraculously be converted to blue. Then the Green Machine activist legislators (against resource development) will have revealed themselves.
I’m so sick of these ads. They have been running for months. Many with people who claim to be Alaskans. The Democrats communist party is trying to weaken Sullivan in preparation for someone to take his place and swing the Senate left.
At least Rebecca Palsha is getting some air time out of the deal.
This isnt the first time she has delivered the fake news to unsuspecting Alaskans through “Alaska’s most trusted news source”.
ClownsRus
I don’t watch TV, but I see many negative ads against Sully and NB3. With the on-line ads, I click on the ad and then return to the page I was reading. I don’t know how many pennies they pay per click, but I’m happy to burn their budgets in any and every small way..