By SUZANNE DOWNING
MAY 7, 2026 – The endorsement of Sen. Dan Sullivan by the powerful ANCSA Regional Association is a major political setback for Mary Peltola as she continues her quest to unseat Alaska’s senator.
The ANCSA Regional Association, known as ARA, announced it backs Sullivan for reelection, citing his long-standing work with Alaska Native corporations and his record of securing federal support and contracting opportunities for Alaska Native communities.
The endorsement is especially notable because ARA represents the 12 Alaska Native regional corporations created under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Together, those corporations represent more than 135,000 Alaska Native shareholders and influence thousands more descendants and employees across the state.
For years, Peltola has relied heavily on support from rural Alaska and Alaska Native voters, often presenting herself as uniquely positioned to represent those communities in Washington, DC. But the endorsement from ARA signals that some of the most influential Alaska Native corporate leaders in the state are aligning instead with Sullivan.
“I’m honored to receive ARA’s endorsement and grateful for the trust Nicole, Shauna, and the leaders of Alaska’s Native regional corporations have placed in me,” Sullivan said in a statement released by his campaign.
He praised Alaska Native corporations as “powerhouses of Alaska’s economy” and said he intends to continue working with them to expand jobs and opportunities across the state.
ARA President Nicole Borromeo described Sullivan as “an indispensable partner” since taking office in 2015.
“From defending access to CARES Act relief funding for Alaska Native corporations, to fighting to expand contracting opportunities for Alaska Native firms, Senator Sullivan has repeatedly shown he understands what is at stake for our shareholders and communities,” Borromeo said.
ARA Chair Shauna Hegna added that Sullivan “has been a true ally to Alaska Native corporations and has been willing to go to bat for us time and again.”
The endorsement underscores Sullivan’s continued strength among influential Alaska institutions even as Democrats search for a candidate capable of mounting a statewide challenge in 2026.
Peltola, who lost her congressional seat in 2024, remains one of the best-known Democrats in Alaska and is frequently discussed as a possible Senate contender. But endorsements like this complicate the narrative that she alone can consolidate Native support statewide.
The Sullivan campaign emphasized that the ARA endorsement joins what it called a “growing list” of Alaska Native organizations and leaders backing the Republican senator.
The endorsement also reflects the increasingly pragmatic relationship between Alaska Native corporations and Alaska’s congressional delegation. While partisan divisions remain sharp nationally, Alaska Native corporations have historically prioritized federal influence, resource development opportunities, contracting authority, and stable working relationships in Washington.
And on that front, Sullivan appears to have locked down another influential constituency as the campaign season fully begins.
8 thoughts on “Sen. Dan Sullivan wins major endorsement from Native group”
The Natives are wise to endorse him.
Gorgeous wife, Dan.
Peltola wouldn’t even get honorable mention.
His partnership and marriage to his wife should be a confidence to all other geeky looking young men that he too can end up with a gorgeous woman IF he too stays focus, maintains his good character, setting goals and building his life. Just as the same as the late Charlie Kirk. Both Sullivan and Kirk looked like plain and geeky looking men when they were younger and after marriage their women gave them style and more polished appearance.
If the Native corporate leadership are Really smart and more wise, they’ll start to go private and less dependent of taxpayer money in federal contracting.
Because anything bad can happen in the world of money and business. If one is dependent on other people’s money as in taxes payers, it might not be there and just as easy as it was for Congress to create ANCSA and Native owned corporations in one awful night could be wiped out by one financial disaster.
I’m the realist and I was brought up not to depend on anyone’s money. That of if I need money growing up, I must go out to work and since commi Democrat government workers turned my stomach I learned to work in the private sector to help sell their products. These Native corporations must learn how to manage their businesses selling products and services without taxpayer money paying for them to produce products and sell services in their communities.
For example my regional native corporation is limping and shuffling along like a crippled hobo because they went woke. Now everything they do must be environmental friendly and sustainable and renewable while their profits are staying flat and declining.
My regional corporation is such a disappointment and I doubt the current generations leading it know any better than I been seriously considering Gifting my 100 Leftout shares to some cause like Gospel Mission or The Alaska story so I can rid myself out of ANCSA which made our tribes permanent government dependents. They don’t know it’s a serious decision and I take my time on serious decisions.
At least hes not for killing babies and she is!
Rite out of the gate thats enough to put him in and her out, Amen 🙏✝️