The Associated Press
Alaska’s Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and her family suffered minor injuries Saturday in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop, her campaign said.
Peltola required medical attention after the accident, which happened when another vehicle crashed into the one transporting Peltola and her family, the campaign said. The family was on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet.
Peltola, Yup’ik, a former congresswoman, is challenging Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, with hopes of becoming the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent the state in the U.S. Senate.
Peltola’s campaign manager, Cheryl Bruce, wrote in a statement that the candidate was in “good spirits” following the accident, but that her medical providers recommended she reschedule events Sunday and Monday to recover.
The incident delayed what her campaign announced as the “Alaska Always Tour,” an eight-stop push through the last week before Election Day. Her campaign said she will resume events Tuesday, with a stop in Homer, Alaska.
Peltola is one of three Native women running for the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 election, along with Democrats Peggy Flanagan, White Earth Nation, in Minnesota, and N’Kiyla “Jasmine” Thomas, Chickasaw, in Oklahoma.
A win would mark the first time a Native woman has been elected to the upper chamber of Congress.
Both Peltola and Sullivan have tried to rally support from Alaska Native voters, a key constituency in the high-stakes race that has become one of the most watched in the nation.
On Friday, Oct. 23, President Donald Trump — who held a rally in support of Sullivan earlier this month — said he told his administration to sue to block certification of the race if Peltola wins. The lawsuit cites potential confusion with another candidate who is listed on the ranked choice ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
