National money is pouring into Alaska's two big races, on every side

Outside groups reported about $187,000 in new independent spending on two Alaska federal candidates in the days before the Aug. 18 primary. It's a small slice of a much larger flood, and the money is coming from every direction.

The biggest of the new filings: Our Future United PAC reported $123,182 supporting Mary Peltola, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Wheel Dog PAC filed two more notices backing independent U.S. House candidate Bill Hill, for $61,845 and $2,326. Under federal law, this kind of independent spending can't be coordinated with the candidate's own campaign.

Wheel Dog PAC is worth understanding, because it shows how national money reaches an Alaska race. It's an independent-expenditure-only super PAC registered in March 2026, and it has already spent more than $300,000 boosting Hill with ads and mailers. Much of its money traces to the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit that functions as a pass-through for undisclosed donors, part of a network run by the consulting firm Arabella Advisors that moves hundreds of millions into progressive causes without naming who's behind it. Hill, a first-time candidate from Bristol Bay running with Alaska Native and labor support, benefits from that spending but by law has no say over it.

The money on the other side is at least as large. Senate Majority PAC, aligned with national Democratic leadership, reserved $10.6 million in Alaska television to support Peltola against Sullivan. Last Frontier PAC has spent more than $2.1 million against her. Begich, the Republican House incumbent Hill is trying to unseat, draws his own support from national groups working to protect the GOP majority.

Why Alaska, and why now: these are two of the most pivotal races in the country. Peltola-Sullivan is a top-targeted Senate seat, and the House contest is one of the few genuinely competitive districts left. The out-of-state cash isn't really about Alaska. Alaska is just where the national fight happens to be playing out this year. More 24-hour notices are due as the primary nears.