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FactCheck.org Debunks Military Pay Claims in Alaska Senate Race, Backs Peltola’s Record
Native Vote 2026
An independent fact check has rejected claims made in campaign advertisements attacking former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola’s record on military pay, concluding that the ads falsely portray her votes on defense legislation during her time in Congress.
According to a July 9 analysis by FactCheck.org, television advertisements from U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign and an allied super PAC “misleadingly claim that Peltola opposed military pay raises.” The nonpartisan fact-checking organization concluded that she did not.
The dispute centers on votes taken in 2023 on the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included a 5.2% pay raise for members of the U.S. military — the largest increase in decades.
FactCheck.org explained that Peltola voted against the House version of the defense bill after Republicans added several amendments that Democrats described as partisan “poison pills.” Those provisions, including one restricting abortion access for military personnel, were later removed during House-Senate negotiations.
“In late 2023, Peltola, a Democrat, voted in favor of a compromise defense bill that included a 5.2% pay increase for members of the military,” FactCheck.org wrote. “Earlier that year, she voted against a House version of the bill that included several Republican amendments she opposed.”
The organization added: “TV ads from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and a super PAC supporting him take advantage of that bit of legislative messiness to misleadingly claim that Peltola opposed military pay raises. She didn’t.”
FactCheck.org further noted that Peltola’s votes reflected the divided political landscape in Congress at the time.
“Rather, her votes reflect the political reality at the time,” the report states. “The House was controlled by Republicans and the Senate by Democrats (when including the independents who caucused with them). In the House bill, Republicans added several amendments, which Peltola and other Democrats criticized as partisan ‘poison pills.’ Many of those Republican amendments were stripped away in a compromise conference report negotiated between the House and Senate.”
The report also noted that FactCheck.org contacted Sullivan’s campaign for comment but did not receive a response.
A spokesperson for Peltola’s campaign defended her record, telling the publication:
“As the mother of two coasties, as an Alaskan, and as an American, Mary has always stood with our servicemembers and veterans who sacrifice to ensure our safety and freedom – securing the biggest pay raise for our troops in decades and fighting to expand benefits for servicemembers, veterans, and their families.”
The advertisements highlighted Peltola’s July 2023 vote against the House version of the NDAA. At the time, Peltola acknowledged the vote was difficult because of the policy riders attached to the legislation.
“It was one of the most difficult votes I’ve ever had to take,” Peltola said in a statement following the vote.
“We shouldn’t be pitting pay raises that they deserve against the reproductive freedoms that they also deserve,” she said. “That is a false choice, created for purely political reasons, and I look forward to negotiations with the Senate’s version of the bill where this issue will be discussed further. I will advocate strongly to return to the bipartisan, policy-focused bill that came out of committee, and will gladly vote for a bill that fully protects our troops and their families.”
FactCheck.org also noted that Peltola ultimately voted for the bipartisan compromise defense bill later that year after the disputed amendments had been removed.
The Alaska Senate race will be decided under the state’s ranked-choice voting system. An open primary is scheduled for Aug. 18, with the top four candidates advancing to the November general election. FactCheck.org reported that the race is currently rated a toss-up by the Cook Political Report.