Mary Peltola entered Alaska’s Senate primary as one of the Democratic Party’s most closely watched candidates. But just days before voters went to the polls, her campaign was reportedly thrown into turmoil by the sudden dismissal of several senior staff members.
The Alaska Landmine reported that Peltola abruptly fired multiple high-ranking campaign officials over the weekend, including Anton McParland and Elisa Rios. Both had worked with her since 2022, when Peltola won election to the U.S. House. Rios had also served as her chief of staff.
One source familiar with the situation described the campaign as being in “complete chaos,” with other employees unsure whether their own jobs were secure.
The timing made the shake-up particularly striking. Peltola was only days away from the state’s all-party primary, where she ultimately finished ahead of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. According to The Washington Post, Peltola received 48.1 percent of the vote compared with Sullivan’s 42.7 percent.
That result sets up a competitive general election in a state Republicans have traditionally carried at the presidential level.
The staff changes also came shortly after Peltola’s campaign publicly distanced itself from former Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris lost Alaska to Donald Trump by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election, while Peltola lost her own House race to Republican Nick Begich by a much narrower 2.4-point margin.
It remains unclear whether the Harris episode had anything to do with the firings.
According to the Landmine, Peltola’s campaign has increasingly turned to Thematic Campaigns, a Chicago-based political consulting firm founded by former Barack Obama adviser David Axelrod. The firm has reportedly worked with Democratic politicians including Obama, Adam Schiff, Pete Buttigieg and Sheldon Whitehouse.
Sources also claimed that the Democratic National Committee played a role in the campaign shake-up and encouraged Peltola to bring in Thematic. That account, however, has not been independently confirmed.
This is true
And Anton McParland, Peltola’s campaign manager and former chief of staff, is no longer with the campaign. https://t.co/21oJ6qriay
— Kellen Browning (@Kellen_Browning) August 17, 2026
The turmoil comes at an important moment for national Democrats.
With control of the Senate at stake in the 2026 midterms, Alaska has emerged as one of the party’s more realistic opportunities to defeat a Republican incumbent. Prediction markets and several polls have shown the race to be competitive, though surveys have not produced a consistent leader.
Some polls have placed Peltola ahead of Sullivan by several points, while a June New York Times/Siena University poll showed Sullivan leading by two points. That survey was notable because it met the Times’ standards for inclusion in its polling average.
Alaska’s unusual political environment adds another layer of difficulty. Campaigning in the state can require extensive travel, a strong understanding of regional issues and an organization capable of turning out voters across widely separated communities.
That makes a major staff overhaul so close to an election especially risky.
At the same time, Democrats are dealing with uncertainty in several other Senate contests.
In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. In Florida, state Rep. Angie Nixon scored an upset over Alexander Vindman. And in Maine, Democratic candidate Troy Jackson has faced scrutiny over decades-old allegations involving a former partner, though the partner has denied making those allegations despite the existence of a police report.
Those developments have increased the importance of Alaska for Democrats hoping to gain the four seats needed to take control of the Senate.
Peltola remains a formidable candidate with statewide name recognition and a record of winning in difficult political territory. But the sudden departure of longtime advisers, the reported involvement of national Democratic organizations and questions about who is now directing campaign strategy have introduced fresh uncertainty into what was already expected to be one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
