Alaska's 2026 races have drawn at least $210 million, mostly in the Senate race

Candidates, political parties and independent groups have reported at least $210 million in money tied to Alaska's 2026 elections, according to an Alaska News analysis of state and federal campaign filings through Nov. 2.

If this year's turnout matches the 2022 midterm election, when 267,047 Alaskans voted, that's about $790 per voter. If it matches the 2024 presidential election, when 338,177 Alaskans voted for president, it's about $620.

About three-quarters of the money is in the U.S. Senate race between Sen. Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola, where independent groups have reported spending about twice as much as the candidates took in.

The total combines three kinds of reported money. Candidates took in $77.7 million. Independent groups, including super PACs, reported $126.8 million in spending for or against candidates. Party committees spent another $5.8 million in coordination with federal campaigns. None of the independent money goes to the campaigns, and the groups can't legally coordinate their spending with them.

The figure is a floor. Federal candidates' receipts are counted only through Oct. 14, the last regular reporting cutoff before the election, and late or amended filings could still change the total. It leaves out ballot measures, judicial retention, local races and any political spending that doesn't have to be reported.

Below is a breakdown by race, including every legislative race on the ballot.

The Senate race

Peltola, a Democrat, reported taking in $36.9 million through Oct. 14, according to her FEC summary. That's more than Sullivan and Al Gross took in combined over their full campaigns in the 2020 Senate race, about $30.2 million.

Sullivan, a Republican, reported $14.1 million over the six years since his last election, including $11.5 million in 2025 and 2026, according to his FEC summary. Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher who shares the senator's name, reported about $31,000. Gerald Heikes, another candidate, had no FEC financial summary.

Independent groups reported about $101 million in Senate spending, counting the August primary. As of Oct. 30, the general-election spending was split almost evenly between groups helping Sullivan or attacking Peltola and groups doing the reverse. The biggest spenders at that point were SLF PAC, a Republican super PAC, and North Star, which is funded by Democratic super PACs. Party committees reported another $4.9 million coordinated with the Senate campaigns.

The U.S. House race

Republican Rep. Nick Begich reported taking in $6.4 million through Oct. 14, and independent Bill Hill reported $2.6 million. Independent groups reported about $20.1 million, more than twice what the candidates took in. As of Oct. 30, the general-election money was running nearly 2 to 1 in Hill's favor. The National Republican Congressional Committee reported another $979,000 coordinated with Begich's campaign.

Governor

The 17 tickets on the primary ballot reported $13.2 million in campaign income. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson reported $5.7 million, about three times as much as any other ticket, according to their latest report. Republican Treg Taylor and running mate Candi English reported $1.9 million, and Republican Bernadette Wilson and running mate Michael Shower $1.6 million. Of the four tickets printed on the general-election ballot, Republican Dave Bronson and running mate Josh Church reported the least.

Through early October, about 72% of Kreiss-Tomkins' money and 75% of Wilson's came from outside Alaska, by Alaska News' count of contributor addresses. Taylor and Bronson drew more than 90% of theirs from Alaska.

Independent groups reported $5.2 million in the race. About 59% of it, $3.1 million, came from one group, Forward Frontier for JKT, whose chair works for the Democratic Governors Association. It has spent to support Kreiss-Tomkins or oppose his Republican opponents.

The Legislature

All 50 legislative races together drew about $6.1 million: $4.5 million in candidate income and $1.7 million in independent spending. That's less than the two leading U.S. House candidates took in.

The most expensive was the Kodiak-area House District 5 seat, at about $473,000. Nonpartisan Kathy Simpler reported $135,889 in campaign income and Republican Sheldon Prout $21,409. Independent groups reported about $316,000 in spending for or against them, twice what the two candidates took in.

Groups funded by national party organizations spent in most of the costliest House races. A group funded by the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee reported spending against Republicans in five of the six most expensive: Prout; Rep. Sarah Vance in the Homer area's District 6; Rep. Julie Coulombe in South Anchorage's District 11; Rep. Mia Costello in Southwest Anchorage's District 15; and Harmony Tomaszewski in the Fairbanks area's District 34.

In the sixth, District 9, which covers South Anchorage's Hillside and Girdwood, Families of the Last Frontier, an Anchorage group funded mostly by national Republican organizations, spent about $89,000 against Rep. Ky Holland, a nonpartisan, in three weeks of October.

In House District 38, on the lower Kuskokwim, independent groups reported about $221,000, about nine times what the four candidates reported taking in.

Every legislative race

Totals combine candidate income and independent spending reported through Nov. 2. Candidates include everyone on the primary or general-election ballot.

State House

• House 1: $49,136, including $1,000 in independent spending. Jeremy T. Bynum, Grant EchoHawk.

• House 2: $66,287, all of it candidate income. Alston C. Evans, Rebecca Himschoot, Kenny "Kenny Karl" Skaflestad.

• House 3: $92,552, all of it candidate income. Andrea "Andi" Story, Annette Kreitzer.

• House 4: $7,225, all of it candidate income. Sara Hannan.

• House 5: $473,217, including $315,919 in independent spending. Sheldon R.J. Prout, Kathy C. Simpler.

• House 6: $386,379, including $209,674 in independent spending. Sarah L. Vance, Brent Johnson.

• House 7: $29,276, all of it candidate income. Kate Veh, Justin M. Ruffridge.

• House 8: $23,798, all of it candidate income. Frank Quinn, William H. "Bill" Elam, Nissa Savage.

• House 9: $411,911, including $155,705 in independent spending. John C. Boyle, Ky Holland.

• House 10: $7,100, all of it candidate income. Charles M. "Chuck" Kopp.

• House 11: $401,244, including $234,534 in independent spending. Julie Coulombe, Danni M. Hall.

• House 12: $80,727, including $1,473 in independent spending. Jieun C. "Jini" McDonald, Calvin R. Schrage.

• House 13: $93,721, including $132 in independent spending. Felix E. Rivera, Lisa M. Keller, Sarah D. Short.

• House 14: $104,178, all of it candidate income. Russell O. Wyatt, Alyse S. Galvin.

• House 15: $431,669, including $248,553 in independent spending. Denny Wells, Mia Costello.

• House 16: $67,718, all of it candidate income. Liz Vazquez, Carolyn Hall, Phil Isley.

• House 17: $29,302, all of it candidate income. William Z. "Zack" Fields, Daniel L. Bradley, Matthew H. Salisbury.

• House 18: $298,183, including $76,273 in independent spending. Dan Sager, Cliff Groh.

• House 19: $9,241, all of it candidate income. Genevieve G. Mina.

• House 20: $40,208, including $2,555 in independent spending. Paul A. Bauer Jr., Andrew T. Gray.

• House 21: $96,204, including $8,217 in independent spending. Donna Mears, Aimeé Sims.

• House 22: $66,171, including $1,000 in independent spending. Jose Roel A. Tagle, Ted J. Eischeid. No campaign report was found for Tagle.

• House 23: $323,676, including $132,185 in independent spending. Jamie Allard, Jim Arlington, Nick Capozzi, Lee E. Hammermeister, Ruby Jones.

• House 24: $161,733, including $128,976 in independent spending. Gina T. Wall, Ken McCarty, Sharon Jackson.

• House 25: $80,758, including $376 in independent spending. Michael Bowles, Steven L. Merritt, DeLena M. Johnson.

• House 26: $26,779, all of it candidate income. Donna L. Anthony, Jeanne Troshynski, Steve J. St. Clair.

• House 27: $85,526, including $3,804 in independent spending. Jubilee L. Underwood, David Eastman.

• House 28: $70,949, including $151 in independent spending. Stephen Wright, Evan M. Bordenkircher, Elexie B. Moore, Kathleen M. "Kit" Kennedy.

• House 29: $35,530, including $7,750 in independent spending. Candice Frisby, Steve Menard, Gerald "Garret" Nelson, Amber Hansen, Kimberly Slone, Jessica I. Kusner-Kalarchik.

• House 30: $138,641, including $103 in independent spending. Mike Alexander, Doug Massie, Kevin J. McCabe, Sandra D. Loomis, Doyle E. Holmes.

• House 31: $142,237, including $14,033 in independent spending. Maxine L. Dibert, Jonathan Powell-Mark, Aimée Moore. No campaign report was found for Powell-Mark.

• House 32: $41,522, all of it candidate income. Will Stapp.

• House 33: $109,439, all of it candidate income. Glenn M. "Mike" Prax, Pepper McFarland, Barbara Haney.

• House 34: $449,529, including $246,137 in independent spending. Harmony Tomaszewski, Joy E. "Joy Beth" Cottle.

• House 35: $56,446, all of it candidate income. Bridger Terra, Ashley E. Carrick, Jeffrey L. "Jeff" Rentzel.

• House 36: $19,505, all of it candidate income. Crystal Jones, Rebecca A. Schwanke.

• House 37: $143,047, including $23,539 in independent spending. Peter L. Angasan, Evelynn M. Trefon, Brenda L. Wilson, Cade J. Woods, Dennis Robinson, Kimberly "Kim" Johnson, Mark Smith.

• House 38: $246,044, including $221,435 in independent spending. Joseph R. Amik, CJ McCormick, Nellie "Unangiq" Jimmie, Willy Keppel.

• House 39: $35,721, all of it candidate income. Reynold D. "Papa Joe" Okitkun, Neal W. "Quannaq" Foster, Tyler Ivanoff.

• House 40: $71,647, including $6,250 in independent spending. Robyn Niayuq Burke Frier, Saima Chase.

State Senate

• Senate A: $55,047, all of it candidate income. Bert K. Stedman.

• Senate C: $272,098, including $84,542 in independent spending. Carrie L. Harris, Heath Smith, Louise B. Stutes.

• Senate E: $198,279, including $24,483 in independent spending. Jason "Jace" White, Leo B. Schafer, Gretchen W. Stoddard, Cathy Giessel.

• Senate G: $102,479, all of it candidate income. Nicholas Danger, Elvi Gray-Jackson.

• Senate I: $29,415, all of it candidate income. Löki Gale Tobin.

• Senate K: $39,918, all of it candidate income. Bill Wielechowski.

• Senate M: $119,697, including $375 in independent spending. Cathy L. Tilton, Patricia R. Chesbro, Ryan Berry, Zane Vrvilo.

• Senate O: $165,729, including $8,398 in independent spending. Peter Bauer, George Rauscher, Ryan W. Sheldon.

• Senate Q: $69,908, including $14,500 in independent spending. Frank Tomaszewski, William Hunt.

• Senate S: $71,268, all of it candidate income. Darren Morgan Deacon, Bryce Edgmon, Wayne A. Morgan, Richard "Rick" Robb, Wassilie P. "WG" Guy.

How we counted

Alaska News matched 148 of the 150 candidates and tickets on the state primary and general-election ballots to their campaign reports with the Alaska Public Offices Commission. Candidate income comes from each campaign's latest regular report plus any later 24-hour reports. For governor candidates who formed or changed tickets, some money reported under an earlier campaign account may be missing.

State reports often list one ad at its full cost for every candidate it names. The totals count each ad once, which brings state independent spending to $6.9 million rather than the $10.8 million the per-candidate listings add up to.

Federal candidate figures are FEC summaries through Oct. 14, with Sullivan's covering 2021 through 2026. Federal independent spending comes from FEC filings through Nov. 2, with amended and duplicate filings removed. About $1.24 million in ads named both Senate and House candidates; the statewide total counts them once. Coordinated party spending is counted separately.