Alaska Public Media, Alaska's News Source, and KTOO present Debate for the State: the U.S.

Senate race.

Good evening.

Thanks for joining us for the final debate in our debate for the state series tonight for one of Alaska's U.S.

Senate seats.

We're coming to you live from Alaska Public Media on statewide TV, radio and online.

I'm Lori Townsend, tonight's moderator.

My colleagues, Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media's Washington, D.C., correspondent.

And Wil Courtney, political reporter for Alaska's News Source, will ask the questions.

We have two candidates on the debate stage tonight, former U.S.

congresswoman, Democrat Mary Peltola.

And incumbent senator Republican Dan Sullivan.

Although four candidates for Senate will be on November ballot, we invited only candidates who received at least 5% of the primary vote.

Candidates will have 30 seconds for opening comments.

The order was determined earlier by drawing numbers.

All answers will be timed with the yellow light indicating you have 10 seconds left, and the red light followed by a ding means you are out of time.

Each candidate has up to four 30-second rebuttals to use, and candidates will have the chance to ask each other one question.

We'd also like to hear from you, our audience.

Choose the issue that matters most to you.

If you are watching, scan the QR code on your screen or go to alaskapublic.org/poll.

That's alaskapublic.org/poll.

Now let's get started.

Miss Peltola, your opening comments please.

You have 30 seconds.

Hello and thank you for having me.

My name is Mary Peltola.

I'm a lifelong Alaskan, a mother, a grandmother, and I'm running for Senate to take on corruption in D.C.

and lower costs for Alaskans.

Since launching my campaign, I've traveled to communities across the state.

And everywhere I go, I hear the same thing.

Prices are too high, and D.C.

isn't working for us.

I'm in this race to change that.

It's time the Senate worked for Alaska, not millionaires, billionaires, or corporate greed.

Thank you.

Miss.

Mr.

Sullivan 30 seconds.

Elections are about record character and the truth.

Julie and I started our family together in Fairbanks over 30 years ago.

We raised our daughters here and have served our state and our country.

I love our great state, and I work every day for our families, our fishermen, our energy workers and the most vulnerable.

I'm running to build a stronger Alaska and a brighter future for our kids.

Thank you sir.

The first question is from Liz Ruskin about Iran.

Mr.

Sullivan, you have supported the president's war on Iran and repeatedly voted against a war powers resolution.

The war has been going on for more than seven months and Iran hasn't capitulated.

What can Congress do to hasten the war's end?

You have a minute.

Liz, I voted for the resolutions because making sure the largest state sponsor of terrorism should not have nuclear weapons.

And this state sponsored terrorism has also killed thousands of American troops.

We need to open the Straits of Hormuz.

Make sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon.

But it needs to end soon.

The energy costs from this war are too high.

But I will tell you this.

The best way to bring down costs with regard to energy in Alaska is to produce more Alaskan energy by and for Alaskans.

We are doing that.

My opponent, when she was in Congress, actually voted against producing more Alaskan energy, and she would empower people who won't be doing that.

So to me, energy costs are going to come down when we produce more American energy.

I have a strong record of doing that.

We are doing that.

And that's important.

to clarify to hasten the war's end.

Congress should do what?

I'm sorry.

I didn't hear an answer.

We should be making sure we open the Straits of Hormuz and make sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon.

The largest state sponsor of terrorism should not have a nuclear weapon.

Okay, Miss Peltola, if you were in the Senate today, would you vote to end U.S.

attacks on Iran even without a peace deal in place?

And what would you do?

What would you support to keep Iran from rebuilding its nuclear program?

Also a minute.

Alaska, strategically placed in our state, was built as a strategic military location.

We understand the importance of a national of our national security, dating all the way back to our elders who are part of the Army National Guard, the Territorial Guard.

But prices are too high for hardworking Alaskans, and DC politicians are waging forever wars that are skyrocketing our costs.

I'll take on the rigged system that allows DC to wage forever wars while lining their own pockets.

I'll make sure we're focused on federal funding for Alaska, because I'd rather we spend our money here in Alaska on erosion control rather than foreign wars.

The incumbent has voted for this price hiking war in Iran 14 times.

This war is driving up our energy bills and hurting Alaskans with no end in sight.

I have been a strong supporter of drilling in Alaska.

I helped get Willow over the finish line and that is not the issue here.

The issue is the Strait of Hormuz being closed and this never ending war in Iran.

And if I could clarify, are you saying what what would you do?

Would you vote to end the war in Iran even without a peace deal in place?

I think a peace deal is so far out of sight and Iran can weather hardships.

They are waiting us out.

There does not seem to be a peace deal on the horizon, and I think it's so important that our military be removed and protected.

We've had 20 servicemen dying in conflicts over there already.

Just a quick clarification.

And then, yeah, Senator Sullivan, to take a rebuttal opportunity.

Look, our military strength matters here.

That's why I've been leading the biggest buildup of the Alaska military in our history.

My opponent has voted against the military buildup in Alaska.

She's voted against fundraising for pay raises for our troops.

And finally, she talks a lot about the rigged system.

She defines the rigged system.

She serves in elected office and then becomes a lobbyist.

Last year she was a DC lobbyist, making almost a half million dollars.

That is the definition of a rigged system.

>In our system, >You would like 30 seconds?

Our ballistics, our our supplies, our weaponry is being reduced when we know we have warships in our waters practicing formations every week.

Russians and Chinese ships are in our waters, and we are reducing our own capacity to protect ourselves.

I have done nothing but fight for Alaskans.

I voted two times in favor of the pay raise for our troops.

I'm very proud of that vote.

And Dan just keeps telling lies and Alaskans are sick of it.

All right.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

We're going to stay on foreign relations.

President Trump has not always backed Ukraine and its defense against Russia.

Should the United States have Ukraine's back and how would you advise President Trump on this issue?

You have one minute.

We begin with Miss Peltola.

Thank you.

I think it's so important that we stand with Ukraine and our allies.

We have been making new adversaries out of our traditional allies across the globe.

You see this with Ukraine.

I think we should be doing everything in our power to help support them.

Not bolstering up Russia.

Aid to Ukraine should be continually evaluated and used effectively, and efficiency so that Alaskans money is spent responsibly while we support our allies.

Instead of things like this silly trade war, the tariffs with Canada, we are really.

I am so ashamed of the way we're turning our back on our own allies, our Arctic allies, our Arctic partners.

And you see this from Ukraine to Canada to Greenland.

This is a terrible trend.

It's weakening us.

It's diminishing our own power.

And I think that we need to take these things very seriously.

All right.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

Mr.

Sullivan, you have a minute?

I've been one of the strongest supporters of Ukraine since the war began.

And I worked closely with the Biden administration when they put forward a supplemental package to the Congress for Ukraine.

And I shaped that.

I led the effort to get that over the goal line in the Senate.

Even when President Trump, who wasn't in office at the time, was opposing it.

So I've been a strong supporter of Ukraine.

I continue to be.

I've met with President Zelenskyy a number of times.

But here's the issue.

As my opponent just said, or what what I think is really important when it comes to national security, it starts at home.

Like I said, when I came in to the Senate, the Obama administration was doing with Democrats in DC always do cutting our military, undermining readiness.

My opponent did vote against our military, did vote against pay raise for our troops because she wanted more transgender surgeries for our troops.

>I need to rebut- >That is an outrage.

>That is absurd.

>That is an outrage for our military.

We need to keep building it up.

You'd like rebuttal time?

Yeah.

I think that Alaskans have had it up to here with the lying and the dishonesty.

Dan, you should be ashamed of yourself for propagating these lies.

These were set up votes.

The first time I voted on the NDAA, there was trick language in there that would have prohibited our soldiers from getting health care that they needed if they were not stationed in a state that didn't allow for women's reproductive health care.

I'm not doing that to our soldiers.

But three other times I voted hard yes, in support of our troops.

Thank you.

President Trump last week announced he's lifting sanctions to buy diesel from Russia.

A bipartisan group of senators has asked him to reconsider, saying it helps Russia fund its war on Ukraine and does little for Americans.

Mr.

Sullivan, you were not one of the senators who signed the letter.

What do you think of the president's decision to import diesel from Russia?

You have a minute.

Well, Liz, I put a statement out opposing it.

I don't think it's a good idea at all.

I just led the effort on the Russian Sanctions Act that passed the Congress.

So I'm opposed to that.

And, you know, this is the way in which I work with the Trump administration to get things done for our state.

Sometimes I post things publicly.

Other times I forcefully oppose things that I think are in our interests.

In private.

Let me give you an example.

I've been pressing the white House secretary really hard to make sure that we don't do this live streaming of the execution of this terrorist.

Certainly he needs to be executed.

But if you have a live streaming of this terrorist, you're going to create more terrorists.

So I push back on the administration when I think it's in Alaska's interest in our military's interest.

But again, I want to go back to military spending.

Right now, the Senate majority, the minority leader, Chuck Schumer, is blocking defense spending.

Mary Peltola wants to make him majority leader.

That would be a disaster for our military.

Miss Peltola, if you were a senator, would you have asked the president to reverse course on the diesel?

I would have absolutely asked the president to reconsider that terrible decision.

Oil is a global commodity, and it's priced on a on a global index.

If we're buying diesel and oil from Russia, from our known adversary, from somebody who is working so diligently against us and our allies, that is just foolish.

And I do not think there's any way, shape or form the US should be buying anything from Russia.

We worked so hard, Dan, on the fishes bill to keep Russian trawlers from capturing our fish, to go back into paying for this horrible war in Iran.

They've been bad or this horrible war in Ukraine.

They've been battering them for years.

And again, these are allies.

They're on the front lines fighting for us, fighting for democracy while we're just turning our backs on them.

Thank you.

All right.

Let's hear a question from a local financial advisor on the future of Social Security.

I'm Marietta Hall, and I'm a financial planner and a lifelong resident of Alaska.

Social security is projected to be 75% funded in the year 2032.

There have been several proposals to fix this funding, including lowering benefits, raising the payroll wage cap, raising payroll taxes, raising investment taxes, and raising the eligible collection ages.

Which solutions do you support?

All right.

Thank you for that question.

Miss Peltola, well start with you.

You have one minute.

I'm so thankful this question was asked.

I get calls about Social Security about five times a week from elders across our state, because Social Security is the bedrock of retirement for so many Alaskans.

Alaska seniors rely on Social Security and Medicaid, and no seniors should have to worry about making ends meet or accessing accessing their benefits that they've earned or health care that they need.

Thanks to DC price hikes and health care cuts, it's getting harder and harder for Alaska seniors to make ends meet.

And the next senator from Alaska will have to deal with the future of Social Security in the next six years to keep the program strong.

I will always fight for our seniors hard earned benefits.

And in the Senate, I'll fight to eliminate taxes on Social Security benefits.

Who do you want fighting for your Social Security?

A working Alaskan like me.

Or someone like Dan Sullivan, who is repeatedly voted to jeopardize Alaska's seniors hard earned benefits, including voting to raise the retirement age.

All right, Mr.

Sullivan, do you have one minute?

Well, I've never voted to raise the retirement age, so that's another Mary Peltola lie, which is unfortunate and disappointing, but it's been a hallmark of her campaign.

Look, I think with regard to Social Security, first and foremost, the people in Social Security, we need to make sure it's a lockbox.

They're going to get what they continue to have.

You can't touch it.

Same with people who are getting close to retirement.

You can't touch it.

They have been relying on it.

But we have all kinds of opportunities with bipartisan reforms.

It must be bipartisan to move big reforms.

Previously, reforms on Social Security solvency had to be bipartisan.

I'm considering all of these.

But again, let me talk about my opponent.

When she was in the state legislature, she voted to get rid of pensions for state workers.

And I voted for last year Social Security tax cuts for our seniors in the Social Security Fairness Act, which restores some of the cuts that Mary Peltola made to our teachers and firemen on their retirement.

All right.

Thank you, Senator.

Alaskans say they're having a hard time paying for groceries, housing and gas.

And in rural Alaska, the average price of a gallon of heating fuel reached a record nearly $8 in August.

How will you work in Congress to make it more affordable to live in this state?

Mr.

Sullivan, you have 90 seconds.

Well, first off, these are really challenges.

And this is a huge issue that is hurting people across the state.

You know, the spikes in inflation started under the Biden administration.

Same with the spikes in fuel prices.

But this is a problem that we need to address.

Immediately, I've had the White House launch their Alaska energy task force that is helping to directly address specific Alaska problem problems in terms of energy.

Let me give you an example.

We had LIHEAP funding.

That's for low income Alaskans to get more benefits and relief from high costs with regard to their utility costs.

We've doubled that.

But as I mentioned, we also need to make sure that we are producing more Alaskan energy for Alaskans.

We're doing it.

Mary Peltola, when she was in Congress, did nothing when the Biden administration issued 70 executive orders here.

You're not you're not supposed to be interrupting here.

Can I get a couple seconds back from that interruption?

We'll give you five more.

Second Senator, 70 executive orders that shut down our state, killed our jobs, and she did nothing.

Nothing to address that.

The other thing we need to do is put more money in the pockets of Alaskans.

We're doing that with tax breaks for seniors and working families.

My opponent is actually a senator.

Let's leave it there.

Thank you.

And now Miss Peltola you have 90 seconds.

Thanks, Wil.

Everything costs too much, and people are living paycheck to paycheck and even moving to the lower 48.

Corporate greed and party politics are hurting us.

And stripping Alaskans of our resources while driving up costs that only benefit them.

I'll work to make sure Alaska is more affordable by increasing Alaska oil, gas, and renewable energy.

Eliminating the income tax for middle and working class Alaskans.

Cracking down on health care insurance companies while they profit on people's worst moments and force impossible choice on choices on Alaska's families.

We need to cap out of pocket costs on more prescription drugs, and we need to crack down on corrupt corporations who are jacking up our prices.

I do not think we need any more studies.

I do not, and I think we need to go so far beyond LIHEAP the low income heating assistance program.

Everyone, regardless of income, is being crippled by these, prices.

And it's not just heating oil.

Our electricity across rural Alaska is powered by diesel generators.

I heard I was up in Northwest Arctic Borough this last, the last few days, I heard of a case where in in villages or homes paying $1,500 a month just for their electricity.

That's not even including their heat.

Unfortunately, Dan Sullivan has supported a war in Iran that's raised prices on everything from gas to groceries, and it's put all of us in a crunch.

Thank you, Miss Moderator, a question.

We weren't supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?

No, sir.

Neither one of you got questions beforehand.

Absolutely not.

Opponent.

No, that is- >Thank you.

>Im prepared.

Thank you.

We've heard a lot about the potential and the dangers of AI artificial intelligence.

Do you think tech companies can self-regulate AI, or what principles would you like to see in government regulation?

Miss Peltola, we'll start with you one minute.

Thanks, Liz.

Innovation can never be at the expense of our hardworking Alaskan families.

And I get the anxiety that families have about how AI can impact our jobs and raise our energy costs.

For too long, DC has allowed corporate greed to choose what's best for our families.

I'll fight to ensure that Alaskans input is heard and respected, and I will take action to ensure that our utility bills, our kids, and our jobs are protected.

The incumbent can't be trusted to do what's right for Alaska.

When time and time again, he's prioritized lower 48 corporations and corporate greed over Alaskans.

When it comes to data centers, they have got to pay their own way.

We know that across Alaska, energy companies, electrical companies have let people let ratepayers know that their rates are going to go up by as much as 40%.

We can't have additional drag on, on on our load.

I'm sorry.

Can I give you five seconds to please address the question about regulating AI?

Yes.

AI should be regulated.

This is one of the most concerning issues that parents face.

I mean, we don't even have our arms around social media.

Thank you.

Thank you.

AI needs to be regulated.

Okay.

Thank you.

Mr.

Sullivan, regulating of AI.

I just I just want to make a point, though.

My opponent keeps talking about corporate greed is again, she defines the rigged system in DC.

There's nothing more rigged than a member of Congress getting fired.

And then immediately walking through the revolving door to cash in.

She made almost a half a million dollars last year as a DC lobbyist, >I would like to rebut this.

>Quit interrupting, selling her knowledge of DC.

She did it when she left the state legislature.

She set up a lobbying firm.

Mary, you're walking through the revolving door so much, you must be getting dizzy up here.

So I just want to make that record clear on AI.

We just voted on the Senate floor, the AI Responsibility Act.

It would make sure all the Democrats in the Senate voted against it.

It would make sure that data centers pay their own way.

It is a good beginning, important regulation.

I led the efforts on it.

We voted on it.

And unfortunately it was blocked by Democrats in the Senate.

Did you want 30 seconds?

This would be your third rebuttal?

Yes, please.

Thank you.

Lori.

Yep.

You know, I am so proud of the work that I've done over my life for Alaskans.

When I lost in 24, I went to work in Anchorage on Alaskan issues, municipal issues.

Dan's been in DC for 12 years and gotten richer every single one of those years.

That's the corruption that Alaskans are really sick of, and that's the corruption that I'll fight against.

Dan went to DC with $3 million.

He now has $8 million.

Dan's doing just fine watching out for himself.

A reminder that we want to hear from you, our audience, about the issues.

>I'd like to make a rebuttal on that.

All right.

We'll give you 30 seconds.

That's your second one, sir.

Look, my opponent has been telling lies throughout this entire campaign, and it's revealed character challenges.

But it's not just the lies.

Take a look at how she treats Alaskans when the cameras are off.

Look at that New York Times story.

She treats young Alaskans horribly.

25 staffers quit on Mary Peltola because she abused them physically and emotionally.

And then she slanders every other group African Americans special needs individuals.

It is a character flaw- >That is gossip.

Let's have some decorum here on this.

Please stop.

>Its the New York Times.

Read the article.

>Unfounded allegations.

All right.

If I have to have mics shut off I will.

Please, let's respect the time that we have.

A reminder that we also want to hear from you, our audience, about the issues that matter most to you.

If you're watching on TV or online, scan the QR code on your screen.

It will take you to a live poll.

If you're listening on statewide radio, go to alaskapublic.org/poll.

We have another question from an Alaskan.

Diane Olthuis is in Hope, and she wants to know- The campaign mail and TV ads have been brutal.

Can the candidates address the attack ads directed at them?

Are there any allegations from the ads you would like to rebut?

Mr.

Sullivan, you can start.

You have one minute.

Yeah.

One of the essential lies of the Peltola campaign was this idea that, I supported not releasing the Epstein files.

It's ridiculous.

Independent fact checkers have said that that is false.

Mary Peltola is using victims of Epstein to try to benefit her campaign.

It's so disappointing, Mary.

It's actually disgusting.

I have spent my career defending survivors of domestic violence, of sexual assault.

And in this case, I voted to release the Epstein files and protect the victims.

She has been running this ad nonstop.

It is a smear and its trying to benefit and revictimize the victims.

That's the real sad part about this, when also, Mary Peltola has taken $140,000 in Epstein Associates money, paying her salary as we speak.

>That is a patent lie That is an absolute fabrication out of thin air.

Dan Sullivan's taken $10,000 that we know of, we can point to.

And I'm very proud of the fact that in my attack ads and my allegations, we put a QR code so people see the citation, or they can see the citation on the screen and go and do fact checking on their own.

I do not have control over PAC money and what other folks are saying about this, Dan Sullivan's time in D.C.. I do think it's terrible that we have been inundated as Alaskans with attack ad after attack ad.

The the attacks on me have no substance.

They say people are dressing me up to look like an Alaskan, and that when I'm in rooms full of people, they're not our people.

What does that even mean?

And these attacks lying, saying, I don't support our troops.

I have two sons who are enlisted four and enlisted five.

When they got out they were both on food stamps.

I was happy to pay for that- vote for that pay raise that our service members hadn't had in ten years.

Thank you.

Candidates.

Many Americans lost health care coverage after the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies ended, leaving thousands without health insurance in Alaska.

What is the answer for helping Americans access affordable coverage?

Miss Peltola, you start with a minute.

Thank you, Wil.

Every Alaskan deserves access to high quality, affordable health care.

But reckless cuts from Washington, D.C., have threatened health care for tens of thousands of Alaskans.

My immediate priority is reversing the damage to Medicaid and restoring health care tax credits that Dan Sullivan voted against seven times.

He voted for the Big Beautiful Bill and had the audacity to call it Alaska Opportunity Act.

This has been the opportunity for a third of Alaskans to have their Medicaid benefits reduced.

10,000 Alaskans immediately off of Medicaid.

Tens of thousands of Alaskans across our state can no longer afford private health care insurance.

We've had two clinics close, five are on the chopping block.

This affects every single Alaskan and every single one of our access to health care.

My opponents votes on the opportunity to rip Alaska off.

Cut Medicaid that Alaskans rely on.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

Mr.

Sullivan, you have one minute.

Mary Peltola once again hasn't done her homework and doesn't know the facts.

The bill she's talking about did not cut Medicaid for Alaskans.

or funding for Alaskans at all.

What has destroyed Alaska's health care is Obamacare.

Obamacare destroyed the health care system here.

It cranked up insurance premiums by almost 1,000%.

We lost almost every insurer.

I actually bucked my party and voted to extend the premium tax credits on Obamacare twice.

Mary Peltola when she was in Congress never voted at all to extend premium tax credits, but she did vote to make sure wealthy individuals got a $7,000 credit to buy an EV.

That's a misplaced priority.

But the exciting opportunity here is the Rural Transformation Fund.

We have the biggest award under that bill that I wrote, $1.4 billion to transform Alaska's health care system, which is a great opportunity for all of us.

Thank you, Senator Sullivan.

Many Alaskans are demanding that the trawl fleet catch fewer salmon as they target pollock.

Some demand a ban on trawling altogether.

Do you support a ban on trawling, or what would you do to reduce bycatch?

Mr.

Sullivan, one minute please.

Well, look, fisheries are a huge, huge focus of mine.

And again, this is a big difference between me and my opponent.

She's now run four campaigns where she's highlighted fish.

She's gotten zero done on fish.

Matter of fact Mary Peltola has been in Congress two terms and got zero bills signed into law, zero.

And on fisheries her first term, she talked a lot about fish.

She didn't even introduce one bill relating to fisheries.

I have bills that have passed strengthening our salmon runs, cleaning up our oceans.

And yes, the most comprehensive bycatch reduction bill ever.

I moved it forward.

It moved out of the Commerce Committee in a bipartisan way, just about a month and a half ago, and I brought it to the Senate floor.

Every Republican voted for it.

Maria Cantwell, the Washington state senator, blocked it.

She wants to be chairman of the Commerce Committee.

If Mary Peltola wins, she will be.

She protects the trawlers.

She's given money to Mary Peltola.

>Thank you.

>That's why this is so important Senator Sullivan, I have a follow up.

Do you favor a ban on trawling or any mandated changes in gear types?

30 seconds, please.

Yeah Liz, like I said, my bill is the most comprehensive bycatch reduction bill ever.

And it would reduce and dramatically reduce bottom contact.

It would require the kind of technology that you mentioned.

It would completely revamp the council process to make it more transparent.

And again, it passed out of committee.

I brought it to the floor.

The person blocking it is who Mary Peltola wants to support as the Commerce Committee chairman.

It'll never pass.

Thank you.

With Cantwell as chairman.

Miss Peltola, do you support a ban on trawling or what would you do to reduce bycatch?

I do support a ban on trawling.

Strong fisheries are the lifeblood of our economy, our communities and our people.

Some of the fisheries that we have that have sustained us for generations here in Alaska are suffering at the hands of lower 48 factory trawlers, and we need to take action.

We need bold action to restore our fisheries, which includes banning factory trawling and reducing bycatch, ensuring Alaskans have a seat at the table where fishery policy is decided.

Investing in modern technologies to detect and reduce bycatch in real time.

Investing in our fish byproduct and mariculture economies.

And instead of joining my efforts in Congress to solve key issues facing Alaska fishermen, Dan Sullivan reeled in over $300,000 from trawlers and waited until the 11th hour for a half hearted and half baked solution an election year bill that leaves Alaskans on the hook.

We definitely need to ban trawling.

And Miss Peltola I also have a follow up for you.

You're calling for a ban, if I understand it, on factory trawlers, the largest trawlers.

What about the bycatch of the rest of the trawl fleet?

You know, I think that we should look at buyback options if that's on the table.

I think that Alaskans are ready to look at every and any solution.

And we certainly have Alaska families who own smaller vessels, and they do not have the same kind of negative effect that these industrial factory trawlers have.

They're all based in the lower 48.

They're taking all that resource.

They're taking on fishing, processing jobs away from our rural communities and processing entirely on the open ocean.

Did you want 30 seconds, sir?

Yes.

This is a really important issue.

So let's clarify.

The entire trawl fleet based in Seattle was against my bill, vehemently against my bill.

But I work hard.

I know how to get legislation passed.

Again, my opponent.

Two terms in Congress.

Zero bills signed into law, zero on fisheries.

And the key here is who is going to be supporting her.

She's getting thousands of dollars from Maria Cantwell, the protector of the trawl fleet.

Mary Peltola wins and the Democrats take control of the Senate.

Cantwell is the chairman of the Commerce Committee.

And we'll never get bycatch done in the Senate.

Let's hear from a young Alaskan now.

My name is Sunday, and I'm a student at South Anchorage High School and I'm also a member of Anchorage Youth Vote.

My question is, what actions would you propose or support to keep kids safe online, while protecting their free speech and privacy?

All right.

Online safety.

Miss Peltola, you have one minute.

Thank you.

I'm so thankful that Sunday asked that question.

You know, we call it social media, but it is not social.

It really drives people into spending more time alone, more solitary time.

I think we know the damaging effect that the quote unquote, social media, all the social media platforms have on young people.

I think that having teen accounts, having parental permission, is a good start.

But these social media companies, they know that they've been injurious to our young people.

They have not been good partners.

They have thwarted all of the efforts that have been made to get our arms around this threat to our young people, and young people even talk about it.

But it's almost like you have to have a social media site so you know what the traffic is, what people are saying about you.

So they're almost being defensive by having accounts.

Mr.

Sullivan.

Well, this is an area I'm going to agree with Mary Peltola on.

It's an area I care deeply about.

You can have the greatest economy in the world and job growth, but if your kids are having high levels of depression, young Alaskans, we have to address this.

This has been a priority mine for over a decade.

When I launched the first wellness summit that is addressing youth mental health and addiction, we need to do more on this.

But we also just passed out of committee.

I'm an original co-sponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act.

Big tech hates it.

Came out of committee strongly again.

They killed it in the house a couple years ago.

But it's giving parents tools on how to best address online safety, and it does provide significant responsibilities on the big tech companies themselves.

It's all a combination online, depression, addiction.

We have to get our arms around the mental health issue for our youth.

Candidates.

We have questions about decorum in office, Miss Peltola, former staff members have alleged that you've subjected them to angry outbursts and used derogatory language.

How do you respond to these allegations?

You have a minute.

Thank you.

You know, I do not think that this election is about me on my worst day.

And I found so many of these allegations concerning and outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth.

What I would like is to have an opportunity to have staff members who have worked with me for decades, and we've worked very well together.

You know, it's hard not to consider staff members part of your family with the amount of time that you spend together, the kind of pressure that you endure.

And I really am very concerned about making sure that we are respectful and respectful of all people.

And again, this is not this campaign is not about me on my worst day.

And I think it's a real sad statement that I'm such a threat as a candidate that they're just willing to do and say anything about me to to help Dan win.

Thank you, Mr.

Sullivan.

President Trump has verbally attacked and mocked many Americans.

That includes people with disabilities and women.

Why haven't you denounced his derogatory language as aggressively as you have Miss Peltolas?

Oh, I have denounced the president's language on these kind of issues.

But let me go back to what Mary Peltola said, that this is the New York Times writing this story.

This is not some conservative, media.

And it's not Mary Peltola on her worst day, it's Mary Peltola over the course of a couple of years, with dozens of people weighing in on this.

Look, when the cameras are off, it's a different Mary Peltola.

And what is really disturbing about this, I mentioned 25 staffers quit.

That's not just staffers.

These are our young Alaskans.

By the way, Alaska, these are your sons and daughters that she treated so poorly that 25 would quit.

And then she goes to denigrate several other groups, right?

Special needs people.

I was just with the Special Olympics working out with them.

There's such a great group of people.

How could you denigrate them?

The gay community, so many others.

She even mentioned somebody should die of a botched abortion.

This is outrageous.

>Thank you.

>Its a character flaw.

Mr.

Sullivan, 10 seconds, can you tell us a time that you've denounced President Trump's derogatory language?

Ive denounced it before, like his Megyn Kelly comments and other things like that?

I believe in respect, but I don't think it should be fake the way in which my opponent talks about it.

This isn't one bad day.

This is a character.

Thank you.

All right.

Thank you, candidates.

And again, thank you for coming to this debate as well.

We do think it's important to the democratic process.

We also think journalism is important to a functioning democracy.

From both your campaigns and elected positions, it's often been difficult to get responses from you.

How will you engage with local media while in office?

Mr.

Sullivan, you have one minute.

Look, I try to answer questions from our media all the time.

It's not always in interviews, but certainly in written form.

And I come home pretty much every weekend when I've been in office.

Look, I work hard in this job.

I engage with Alaskans throughout the state, and I think that's important.

And I also believe it's important to engage with our media.

But I work hard, and I want to mention a thing about my opponent.

She doesn't have that reputation.

She missed almost 20% of her votes in the House, almost 20% of her votes when she was in the state House, almost 40% of her meetings when she was in the Bethel City Council, 16 years in elected office, 16 years of not showing up for Alaskans.

Alaska, imagine if you told your boss you were going to take one day off per week.

Your boss would fire you.

And that's what happened to Mary Peltola last election.

All right.

Now she wants a promotion.

>Thank you, Senator Sullivan.

Mary Peltola, the same question for you.

How will you engage with local media while in office?

You have one minute, ma'am.

Thank you.

I really prided myself, the two years, the just two years, the one term and five weeks that I served as Alaska's representative, I prided myself in making myself available to Alaskan press especially.

I really demurred from national attention from national outlets.

I think it's so important that Alaskans are hearing from me directly.

And I think that the press corps, and Liz Ruskin can attest to, I made myself very available all the time for various stories, and I came home a lot.

There were nine weekends in a row where I came home.

You know, I am so proud of the work that I did.

The two years that I served in the US Congress.

I was boots on the ground in Alaska so often and that, you know, it takes a day to fly back.

It takes a day to fly to Alaska.

This adds up.

And again, I am so proud of my accomplishments in Washington, DC.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

Thank you.

Candidates.

Let's check on our our current poll results.

A reminder if you're watching on TV or online, you can scan the QR code on your screen to take our live poll about what matters most to you.

If you're listening on statewide radio, go to alaskapublic.org/poll to engage.

And currently, we see 33% of Alaskans who weighed in cite the cost of living as a biggest concern.

32% are interested in resource development and 12% cite health care.

Now, candidates can ask each other a question.

Mr.

Sullivan, you have 20 seconds to ask Miss Peltola.

You will have one minute to answer.

And then, Mr.

Sullivan, you will have 30 seconds to respond.

Mary Peltola told you once, said the worst vote you took in the Alaska Legislature was your vote to get rid of pensions for teachers, troopers, nurses and other hardworking Alaskans.

Why is that worse than your vote to impose a state income tax on hardworking Alaskans and your vote twice to cut our PFD?

You know, I. Oh.

Thank you.

Dan.

I served for ten years in our state legislature on the House side, and I was the chair of the Alaska Bush Caucus.

We represented the most remote communities in Alaska.

And even the ten years that I served in the state legislature from 1999 to 2009, every year we were on the precipice of running out of our of our savings, of our constitutional budget reserve, having to dip into the permanent fund, which we're all loathe to do.

And I was part of groups, coalitions of Republicans and Democrats, classic me working in a bipartisan way, not mudslinging.

We had five Democrats and five Republicans in the bipartisan Bush caucus, and we worked hand in glove together with people from all over our state to come up with ideas.

Obviously, those haven't been put into fruition because here we are still on the precipice of budget failure.

30 seconds, sir.

Well, this is another major difference between me and my opponent.

I cut taxes last year for working families.

No tax on tips, no tax on overtime.

$6,000 tax break for our seniors.

Mary Peltola said she opposed that entire bill.

She's criticized that legislation.

But here's the Peltola plan based on her record in income tax increase, cuts to our PFD, gutting the pensions of hardworking Alaskans and working with the Biden administration to kill energy jobs.

That's not a plan for Alaska.

Mary, Miss Peltola you have 20 seconds to ask your question.

Okay.

Those were bipartisan coalition compromises >Your time is going by.

Compromised decisions.

Those were bipartisan plans.

>Get to your question.

>The question?

Okay, gladly.

Dan, since the passage of your one big, beautiful bill, tens of thousands of Alaskans have no private health care insurance.

And what do you have to say to the Alaskans who are now going without life saving insurance?

Thank you.

You have one minute, sir.

Yeah.

The Working Families Tax Cuts Act did not touch Medicaid for funding for Alaska, Medicare or Social Security.

Any ad that says that is false?

As a matter of fact, I was able to get- >What about the health care?

>a provision in that bill to increase the federal match for Medicaid.

I've been working on that for over ten years to increase it to 65% for Alaska, it would have been $200 million more annual increase to Medicaid.

Senator Schumer stripped that out of the bill.

Senator Schumer is who you want to make majority leader.

That was a betrayal of Alaskans.

So what did we do?

We pivoted.

We built out this huge rural transformation fund.

I doubled the number to 25 billion or $50 billion for the country and made it very focused on Alaska.

That's why we got the biggest award to address health care challenges with $1.4 billion.

With Alaskans writing the plan, it's a great opportunity and I'm proud that we've got that done in the bill.

Miss Peltola, you have 30 seconds.

Yes, health care professionals around the state are having challenges finding creative ways to spend that money because there are so many sideboards put on that money where we can't solve Alaska challenges with Alaska solutions because of those prohibitive sideboards.

And again, thousands of Alaskans are off of private health care insurance because of the ACA tax credit cuts.

This is damaging tens of thousands of Alaskans every day.

Can I respond to that?

You have this is your final rebuttal.

You want to use it?

I do.

Okay.

30 seconds.

I voted for the extension of the premium tax credits twice.

Bucked my party on that.

You never voted for extending premium tax credits, even though you could have when you were in the House.

But, look, I just want to ask my opponent.

1.4 billion to re imagine our entire health care system.

It is a great opportunity and, do you agree that that's a good part of the bill?

I've been all over the state seeing the awards that have come out.

It is innovation.

It's a great opportunity for our great state.

Thank you Senator.

Let's talk about the LNG pipeline candidates.

You both have praised the Korea deal announced as monumental as from the president.

But Korean leaders say they are not committed to investing in Alaska natural gas pipeline.

What do you tell Alaskans who see another gas line promise they've heard for the last 50 years?

Mr.

Sullivan, we begin with you.

You have one minute.

Well, I've been working on this project my entire career.

It's so important.

This will be the project that changes Alaska future.

This will be the project that keeps our kids and our grandkids here.

Low cost energy for 50 to 100 years.

And I've pressed this administration relentlessly to get behind it.

And you've seen what the president and his team they have that's in the a Korean trade agreement that they should invest in it.

It's actually in the deal.

There's domestic politics that are happening in Korea.

But the president of Korea has come back saying they're committed to it.

It has to be reasonable terms.

But they've committed a huge amount of money.

So have the Taiwanese when you saw the president announce this.

But again, this is a difference with my opponent.

I have no idea where she stands on the Alaska LNG project.

She's got a lot of staff who certainly have come out against it.

She hasn't talked about it hardly at all.

And here's the other thing.

In 2008, she took a vote on the gas line, but she missed the vote.

She missed the vote to advance the gas line again, not showing up for work on a critical issue.

Follow up question for you.

I'm going to ask you another question about the gas line, because the president continues to say the South Korea agreement is actually happening.

He did so at that rally just a few days ago.

But how is this claim anything more than a campaign pitch to help you get elected?

You have 30 seconds.

Well, well, it's not about that at all.

And, you and I have talked about it.

The Korean trade agreement with the United States has a $350 billion provision to invest in America that has been passed by the Korean legislature.

$150 billion for shipbuilding, 200 billion for additional projects.

One of the additional projects which was announced, the Oval Office was our project.

And it's in the joint Korean U.S.

trade deal.

The amount of money is still being negotiated, but the Koreans have appropriated the money and committed to the process.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

I'm going to ask the same question of you.

What do you tell Alaskans who see this gas line promise as the same thing they've heard for the last 50 years?

Well, I am in strong support of a liquefied natural gas pipeline.

Most reasonable Alaskans are.

I think most of us have we know the old refrain, Dear God, give us one more boom, and we promise we won't squander this one.

There has been so much effort at at finding investors, at finding a way to make this in actuality.

This has been talked about for decades.

And of course, we all desperately want more gas and oil production in Alaska.

Gas and oil will always be part of our energy portfolio.

We know that, and I am very interested in making sure that there are project labor agreements, that we're not forgoing property taxes in the North Slope borough, that we're not leaving money on the table and not getting all of the royalties that we deserve.

And but I just think it's really important that we manage expectations and not be promoting falsehoods that just have no substance.

All right.

Thank you, Miss Peltola, I have a follow up question for you as well.

Once the president made this announcement about the South Korea deal, you praised your own efforts from your time in the legislature and your time in the House as well.

But like I asked Mr.

Sullivan, the gas line doesn't seem to be any closer to being reality.

How have you made the gas line any closer to reality?

You'll have 30 seconds.

Well, you know, I even after we got Willow through, I was even, making hard sell cases with the Biden administration to help us with the LNG plant, help us with the LNG pipeline, and making sure that we can get more development in Alaska.

The Willow project was a good start, but we all know that we've been in an economic slump for over ten years in Alaska.

We have outmigration every year.

We're all concerned about our economy in Alaska.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

In 2019, Attorney General William Barr visited rural Alaska and declared the lack of law enforcement and emergency an emergency and allocated $10 million to support rural law enforcement.

There is still very little local police presence in most rural Alaska communities.

What do you think is needed to support these communities, and what is the role of the Department of Justice?

You have 45 seconds.

Miss Peltola?

Yeah.

When I served in the state legislature, I was on the budget subcommittees for public safety, courts and corrections.

There's nothing more important to me than the safety of every single Alaskan in every single community.

Our even our smallest communities have big city crime.

But DC politicians like Dan would rather use this as a wedge issue than solve the actual problem.

Like you said, Liz, we have had two separate federal huge federal investments, one by the Trump administration and one by the Biden administration.

And both times we had a governor who was willing to take back the state portion.

So it was still a break even.

We have got to get better law enforcement throughout our state.

Thank you, Mr.

Sullivan.

45 seconds.

Liz, very quickly though back to the LNG point.

Again, Mary Peltola had there was a vote in 2008, in the legislature to advance the gas line.

She missed the vote.

She didn't show up.

That's a pattern with her 20% of the votes in the legislature.

That's unacceptable.

Alaska, especially on something of that importance.

But look, the law enforcement and rural has been a passion of mine since my time as attorney general when I launched the Choose Respect campaign, all about addressing the challenges of domestic violence and sexual assault.

I'm the one who encouraged Attorney General Barr, and Liz, it was a lot more than 10 million.

It was more like 60 million.

We need to do much more, and we need to stop the flow of fentanyl into our native villages, which is killing and poisoning our young people.

All right, let's get to some lightning round questions now before closing comments.

Candidates.

You will have up to 15 seconds to answer, and you cannot ask for a rebuttal during the lightning round.

At the Wasilla rally, T shirts were sold that promoted a third Trump administration.

Would you support a third term for the president?

Miss Peltola, you have 15 seconds.

No, I would not.

I think that it's really important that we keep the custom of having, you know, and the letter of the law and follow the rule of law, which is two terms for every president.

That's if you can't get it done in eight years.

Why have four more?

Thank you, Miss Peltola, Mr.

Sullivan.

No.

Absolutely not.

It would be unconstitutional, and I don't support that at all.

Thank you, Mr.

Sullivan.

SuperPACs and outside groups have spent $66 million so far to influence who wins this race.

Do you support limits on this kind of political spending?

Mr.

Sullivan, 15 seconds.

Well, the Supreme Court has already made this a free speech issue.

And so I think it's up to the courts in terms of the First Amendment.

But I will tell you this.

My opponent has raised an ungodly amount of money from lower 48 groups that want to harm Alaska.

Thank you, Miss Peltola.

Limits on outside spending.

Thank you.

Liz, I'm being outspent 3 to 1 right now because of Dan supporters, specifically Elon Musk.

And of course, I would support limiting outside money.

We should have a one month campaign with a max of $1 million.

We should have.

We should do away with Citizens United.

The federal debt is $40 trillion.

What's one thing you would propose to significantly reduce the debt?

Miss Peltola, 15 seconds.

Clearly, I would support getting out of these forever wars, like the war that is happening right now in Iran that Dan has voted for 14 times.

We have seen our prices go through the roof and it's not going to the federal deficit.

It's going to corporate greed.

Thank you, Miss Peltola, Mr.

Sullivan, 15 seconds.

Well, there's my opponent again saying she wants to defund the military, which has been her record.

Look, the most important way to get out of a debt like this, and we have done it before as a percentage of GDP is to have strong economic growth.

That's what I'm focused on every day in the Senate.

Mr.

Sullivan.

What's one nice thing you would say about your opponent, Mr.

Sullivan?

15 seconds.

Well, my wife invited Mary to attend my Marine Corps retirement ceremony after 30 years, and they honored me.

But they honored my wife and daughters more than anybody at my retirement ceremony after 30 years of honorable service.

And Mary Peltola attended.

Miss Peltola, one nice thing about your opponent.

Yeah, that was a lovely, lovely service and I was so proud to be there.

And one, you know, three wonderful attributes of Dan and Julie are their lovely daughters.

So that's three lovely things I can say about Dan and Julie.

All right.

Thank you.

It's time now for closing comments.

Candidates.

You have one minute.

We determined the order earlier.

Miss Peltola your closing comments, please?

Thank you so much again for having me.

Since Dan Sullivan has been in DC, it's only gotten harder to build a life in Alaska.

Young people are being priced out of Alaska as prices rise and abundance turns to scarcity.

Corporate greed and corruption have taken over DC, and Dan Sullivan has taken their side every step of the way.

He's voted for this price hiking war in Iran 14 times.

He's voted to cut ACA tax credits for Alaskans across our state.

He's taken nearly $300,000 from industrial factory trawlers and has stood by as some of our fisheries are collapsing before our eyes.

But Dan is doing just fine.

While Alaskans are living hand to mouth, he's gotten three times richer since being in the Senate.

Alaska.

You know what good leadership looks like.

Ted Stevens and Don Young showed us.

You deserve a leader who will answer to you, who will put Alaska first, not their own personal stock portfolio.

Thank you, Mr.

Sullivan.

One minute.

Well, I hope you've heard the contrast between me and Congresswoman Peltola.

By the way, Ted Stevens and Don Young would be definitely supporting me.

Not her.

And certainly not Chuck Schumer, Senate majority leader.

After 16 years in elected office, Congresswoman Peltola has a record of not showing up or delivering for Alaskans.

And when the cameras are off, her character is really revealed.

And it is not good.

There's no doubt we have challenges right now, particularly the high cost of energy.

But the best way to address that is to produce more Alaskan energy by and for Alaskans.

She's not for that, I am.

But we also have generational opportunities before us that I've been honored to lead on.

The gas line, the energy resurgence on the North Slope, the biggest military buildup in our state's history, redesigning an entire healthcare system that works for Alaska.

Alaskans are the hardest working people in the world.

They need a senator who works hard with them and delivers for them.

I'll continue to do that.

I'd be honored by your vote.

All right.

Thanks to our candidates and reporters, Liz Ruskin and Wil Courtney.

That concludes debate for the state, for Alaska's U.S.

Senate seat.

Election day is November 3rd for Alaska's News Source, KTOO and Alaska Public Media, good night.