By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 3, 2026 – Mary Peltola wants Alaskans to picture Dan Sullivan proudly posing with a Confederate flag.
That is the image her words are designed to create. And it’s precisely proof is why her attack is so dishonest.
It goes back to July 4, when Sullivan attended a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary at Mountain City Church in Anchorage. He read from the Declaration of Independence. A Confederate battle flag was among the many historical flags displayed at the event, including the Betsy Ross and the Star Spangled Banner of 1795, the Bennington Flag. Someone took a photo. And Peltola weaponized that photo, turning it into an accusation about his character.
It’s about as vile as you can get, accusing this 30-year Marine veteran of somehow embracing the values associated with the Confederate flag.
On July 25, she described her opponent as “posing with a Confederate flag.” Her post pointed out that Alaska was neither part of the Confederacy nor part of the United States during the Civil War. So what? We are part of American history now.
Last week, Peltola revived the same accusation. The implication is unmistakable: She says Sullivan was associating himself with the Confederate cause. But proximity to an object in a historical display does not at all establish allegiance to what it represents.
But Peltola would not know that. She lives in a bubble of her own making.
Here is the context Peltola’s attack leaves out. The July 4–5 “America Comes Alive” celebration included hundreds of historical objects, numerous flags, reenactments, and readings.
The Confederacy fought to preserve buying, selling, and forced labor of human beings. Its battle flag carries that terrible history. But any honest account of American history includes the chapters that should remind us that our nation ended slavery, and many of our forebears fought and died to free those slaves.
Peltola could have criticized the organizers’ choice or asked whether the display adequately explained slavery. Instead, she chose wording that invites voters to imagine Sullivan deliberately posing with the flag as an expression of support.
That is a smear by omission. It’s the worst sort of politics and it is unAlaskan and unAmerican.
The Alaska Democratic Party helped spread the lie on July 21, amplifying the report about Sullivan’s appearance, completely ignoring the fact that it is the Democrat Party that owns slavery history. Southern Democrats were the dominant political force behind slavery’s defense, secession, and the Confederate government in the American Civil War. Before the war the Democratic Party was the main national vehicle for slaveholding interests.
Yet, the Democrats continue to pretend their party is innocent. In a screenshot from Friday, Scott Rhode, whose Facebook profile identifies him as an editor and staff writer at Alaska Business, asked whether something had “anything to do with reports of a Confederate flag in the church.” He followed with a question about what country Mountain City was in.
His comment shows how readily the flag controversy becomes a shorthand for casting suspicion on the church, and with our US senator.
Peltola’s attempt to claim the moral high ground is especially remarkable given the accounts of her own conduct.
Anti-Sullivan ad’s ‘line cook’ is actually a Democrat operative recruiting campaign workers
The New York Times reported allegations from former employees of yelling, demeaning language, anti-gay and disability slurs, and an incident in which she allegedly shoved an aide. The Times reviewed text messages supporting some of the accounts. She is cruel to her staff and saw some of the highest turnover in any office in Congress during her two-year service as a US representative.
Consider the man she is trying to stain.
Dan Sullivan served three decades in the Marine Corps, on active duty and in the reserves, retiring as a colonel in 2024.
During his time, he served under Gen. John Abizaid at US Central Command and later served with a joint task force in Afghanistan.
He served Alaska as attorney general and commissioner of Natural Resources. In the George W. Bush administration, he served on the National Security Council staff at the White House and as an assistant secretaracy of state under Condoleezza Rice, with responsibilities that included fighting terrorist financing.
Peltola has every right to challenge his votes, his policies, and his results. Instead, she has recycled a flag lie that relies on stripping away the setting and letting insinuation do the work.
To me, that looks like desperation and dishonesty.
Alaskans should judge Sullivan by the country he served and the work he has done.
They should judge Peltola by the dishonest campaign she is choosing to run. Because she has precious little other real record to run on.
Suzanne Downing is founder and editor of The Alaska Story and is a longtime Alaskan.
9 thoughts on “Suzanne Downing: Peltola rewrites history to smear Sen. Dan Sullivan”
Pelota’s celebration of the gay flag will do more harm to Alaska’s youth than her lies about Sullivan’s ties to an ancient confederate flag.
It is no different than the lies democrats use against their opponents.
Remember the full page picture ad ADN printed up for Forrest Dunbar when he was running for Anchorage mayor which falsely portrayed Dave Bronson dressed in a NAZI uniform with a Swastika flag?
Forrest did fool enough voters to send him to Juneau to spread more hate including his wife who “was hoping” for a potential plane crash when Trump and Putin were landing at JBER for potential peace talks.
Sen. Dan has Ohio roots. Last thing I knew, Ohio was part of the Union that poured immeasurable treasure, blood, and lives into destroying the Confederacy and eliminating slavery in America forever.
The vacuous Peltola is incapable of individual thought and only shilling for her insulting lying political handlers. Just like she will if Alaska is foolish enough to elect her.
those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.
the passing of slavery in our history is a good thing.
slavery still exists in many parts of the world today.
the worst part of the civil war is the loss of states rights.
it gave more power to the federal government.
that said lying to get elected is the dems way
Peltola says she fought against Biden’s open borders policy. Did I miss her vote or her reaching across the aisle with Republicans when they were trying to close the border and end unvetted foreign invaders entering the USA? She should show the press videos of her voicing her displeasure regarding open borders.
I bet you anything some of peltola children of step children are hiding in their closet about their sexual preferences or they’ll keeping it hush hush because she told them to. She never what’s to be seen with her adult kids and family. You wouldn’t even know that they are related if you met one at a job.
Majority of GenX parents parenting style included “ yelling, demeaning language, anti-gay and disability slurs,” and the highest amount of America’s gender confused youth and adults come from GenX parents.
A blessing her Democrat Fmr aids can thank. Is Thank God Peltola wasn’t their mother and they didn’t have to grow up with her. Think about it when an employer or employee treated you like that. And you don’t even live at home with them. Think how they treat their spouse and children who do.
Baby boomers weren’t the best parents. Half of them raised GenX and boomers ignored them, the other half of boomers raised millennials but they screamed. Criticized, and pressured millennials which being left all by ourselves like what boomers did to GenX we probably would had liked a little isolation for quietness even though millennials were used to boomer’s constant control.
Every parent I met who has had slurs and derogatory language against homosexuals, they have at least one child who struggles in that sin.
Sullivan aka Trump lied to Alaskans about financial support for the LNG from South Korea. He lied. As a Trump lamprey, he’s been lying for years. SULLIVAN =TRUMP. TRUMP=POISON. NOVEMBER =PELTOLA
They are both poison.
At least one can imagine of having a beer with Sullivan. Not so with her.
The skwa is on a warpath. She hates white people, conservatives, and right-leaning Democrats. A nasty, nasty woman who can’t seem to find a man to please her. Caveat emptor.
What man wants her? Her history is disturbing enough.