‘Nice Mary’ is ba-a-a-ck: Bipolar ad asks voters to ‘forget’ the Democratic machine backing her

By SUZANNE DOWNING

Oct. 1, 2026 — Mary Peltola is returning to her familiar smiling campaign image in a new Senate advertisement that asks Alaskans to look past her party affiliation while highlighting her NRA rating and claiming she challenged former President Joe Biden.

The spot comes as the former congresswoman faces scrutiny over allegations of mistreating staff and using offensive language in private communications. A New York Times investigation reported allegations of screaming tirades, berating aides, using slurs (calling people faggots and retards), and shoving a staff member, while menacing another with a bottle. \

“Forget party, forget politics. With me, Alaska comes first,” reads the message accompanying the advertisement.

The video features Peltola smiling, visiting with Alaskans, and shouldering a hunting rifle. Its emphasis is on “Alaska First,” with claims clearly intended to distinguish her from national Democrats.

“I earned an ‘A’ rating from the NRA. I took on Joe Biden to secure the border,” she says, according to indexed posts quoting the advertisement.

#AlaskaSenate

AdImpact: Mary Peltola is up with a new ad distancing herself from her party.

“Forget party, forget politics. With me, Alaska comes first. I earned an ‘A’ rating from the NRA. I took on Joe Biden to secure the border.” pic.twitter.com/NMj9JwviNG

— Politics & Poll Tracker 📡 (@PollTracker2024) October 1, 2026

Her NRA claim is spurious. An A rating for a past race is erased because the NRA Political Victory Fund endorsed Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in this year’s Senate race. Sullivan received an A-plus rating, which the organization reserves for lawmakers who combine an excellent voting record with vigorous efforts to defend the Second Amendment.

The advertisement highlights Peltola’s favorable grade without mentioning that the organization chose her opponent.

Peltola’s invitation to “forget party” also leaves out the national Democratic machine supporting her political comeback.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a democratic socialist from New York City, has backed her, as has former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Former Vice President Kamala Harris sent a fundraising appeal invoking Peltola’s potential to help Democrats win the Senate majority.

First AOC, then Kamala, now Donna Brazile backs Peltola

Then, former Democratic National Committee interim chair Donna Brazile joined that chorus in September. As The Alaska Story reported on Sept. 26, Brazile urged people to “stand with” Peltola, described her as “tough but principled and honest,” and said she intended to donate again.

Gun-control activists David Hogg and Shannon Watts have also backed Peltola’s Senate campaign. Emily’s List, planned Parenthood, and the NOW PAC have endorsed her this cycle, while the Feminist Majority PAC supported her 2024 congressional campaign. She fails to mention that in her ad.

The national Democratic investment goes well beyond endorsements.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer worked hard last year to persuade Peltola to enter the race, after polling showed she had a path to win. Senate Majority PAC, the outside spending organization aligned with Schumer, announced an initial $10.6 million television reservation in May to support her against Sullivan.

But the schizophrenic Peltola advertising now puts distance between her public image and the Democratic label, while national Democratic money is all-in for her candidacy.

Her claim of taking on Biden also presents a selective memory of their relationship.

In July 2024, she was one of six House Democrats who supported a Republican resolution condemning the Biden administration and Vice President Kamala Harris over border policies. But the measure was nonbinding: It expressed the House’s position rather than changing immigration law or securing the border itself.

Peltola also publicly defended Biden’s mental abilities. In late 2023, she described him as “one of the smartest, sharpest people I’ve met in D.C.” and praised his compassion and experience. Those remarks offer a different perspective on Biden from the adversarial relationship emphasized in her current advertising.

The new spot also displays a claim that Peltola secured the “largest development project in decades.” Her broader resource-development record, however, includes a significant reversal on the legislation she voted against to promote Alaska oil production.

Peltola initially co-sponsored Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, which sought to reverse Biden administration restrictions on Alaska development. Then, she quietly withdrew her support and urged fellow Democrats in a letter to oppose it. When the House voted on final passage on May 1, 2024, she just voted “present.” The legislation passed 214–199. She actually fought against Alaska’s right to produce.

The ad’s everyday-Alaskan presentation also leaves out Peltola’s lucrative move into the influence business after voters rejected her reelection bid.

After serving the remainder of Don Young’s term and one full term of her own, Peltola lost to Nick Begich in November 2024 and left Congress in January 2025.

Six weeks later, she had joined Holland & Hart, a major law firm with a lobbying practice, as senior director of Alaska affairs. The position paid over $400,000 a year, plus potential bonuses for business she brought in — a substantial payday following her brief congressional career. It was the most she’d ever made in her career. It would have been more, except she never brought in any clients.

Suzanne Downing: The Mary Peltola meltdown as her abusive text messages surface