Supreme Court ruling opens Alaska Senate race to unlimited party spending

Unlimited coordinated spending between national political parties and Senate candidates is now legal after a 6-3 Supreme Court ruling, and Mary Peltola's campaign says the decision will accelerate outside spending against her in what Cook Political Report rates a toss-up race against incumbent Dan Sullivan.

The Court overruled the 2001 precedent known as Colorado II, holding that the Federal Election Campaign Act's coordinated-expenditure limits violate the First Amendment. The case was brought by Republican party committees. The majority said only preventing quid pro quo corruption is a constitutionally permissible basis for campaign-finance restrictions, and that existing contribution limits, earmarking rules, and disclosure requirements are sufficient to prevent circumvention. Justices Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson dissented, arguing the ruling lets parties serve as alternative checking accounts for candidates.

Peltola said Republican groups have already pledged $20 million against her. "The Supreme Court has overturned decades of precedent to effectively eliminate any limit on the amount of money that DC Republican groups can pour into my opponent's campaign," she said, adding that she expects "an onslaught of attack ads within the next few weeks."

A New York Times/Siena University poll of 593 likely voters conducted June 15-29 shows Sullivan at 47% and Peltola at 45%. Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up. The contest, which uses a nonpartisan top-four primary, is set for November 3, 2026.