ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola spent Thursday night hammering each other on character and policy in the closing Debate for the State of a U.S. Senate contest that national scorekeepers call a toss-up race.
They argued over household energy bills, the Iran conflict, retirement benefits, medical coverage and Pentagon spending. Sullivan cast Peltola as a revolving-door lobbyist who pocketed nearly half a million dollars last year selling Capitol know-how. Peltola shot back that Sullivan wealth has climbed across a dozen years in Washington and that voters are tired of that pattern.
Sullivan kept citing a major newspaper account in which ex-aides alleged shouting fits and demeaning language toward staff. Peltola called many of those stories inventions or wild stretchings and said she insists on respect inside her offices. Asked whether he rebukes President Donald Trump for similar talk, Sullivan said he has objected before, pointing to past defenses of a cable news host in 2015 and the late Sen. John McCain.
On defense, Sullivan claimed she opposed a service-member pay hike. She denied it, noted sons who served as enlisted troops, and said she backed other National Defense Authorization Act versions while rejecting one she argued narrowed reproductive care.
Sullivan also denounced ads tying him to donors linked with Jeffrey Epstein and said he backed releasing related records. Peltola answered that she does not run ads cut by independent committees.
When she consulted notes early in the night, Sullivan asked if the questions had been shared ahead of time. Moderator Lori Townsend said neither campaign saw them early. Debate organizers likewise said the prompts stayed sealed until airtime.
