ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Tempers flared Thursday as the leading candidates for Alaska’s hotly contested U.S. Senate seat clashed over the Iran war, the economy and healthcare.

Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola repeatedly accused each other of lying in an hourlong debate, and their bickering at one point nearly caused the moderator to shut off their mics.

Sullivan, who is seeking a third term, had a question about why Peltola was reading much of her answers from prepared notes during the debate.

“We weren’t supposed to get these questions beforehand, were we?” Sullivan said.

“No, sir,” Alaska Public Media moderator Lori Townsend said. “Neither one of you got questions beforehand.”

“OK, I’m just watching my opponent read questions that seem to be answered,” Sullivan said.

Peltola responded that she came prepared.

Meeting with reporters after the debate, Sullivan told the event hosts that he believed they had not provided any questions to anyone in advance. But he added, “You can’t cue card your way to the U.S. Senate.”

The spicy exchanges underscored increasing tension in a closely watched contest that has flooded the state with attack ads and massive spending as the GOP tries to stop Democrats from regaining control of the Senate. The race is one of a few across the country that could determine control of the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.

The debate came days after President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance visited the state on separate occasions, hosting campaign rallies primarily to boost Sullivan.

The GOP president‘s policies and actions have created election hurdles for members of his party, amid persistent inflation tied partly to his tariffs and soaring fuel prices after the 8-month-old war in Iran disrupted oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

The event was hosted by Alaska Public Media, KTOO and Alaska’s News Source.

Peltola became the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress in 2022 after she was elected to the state’s lone House seat, long held by the late Republican Rep. Don Young. She held office for a little more than two years, until Republican Rep. Nick Begich replaced her in early 2025.

During the debate, Peltola sought to highlight Alaskans’ economic concerns linked to inflation, tariffs and the war in Iran driving up cost of living. Sullivan promptly acknowledged that “energy costs from this war are too high,” but pointed elsewhere to the root cause of the problems facing Alaskans.

Sullivan, a retired U.S. Marine Corps reserve colonel, has touted his efforts to boost resource development in Alaska, including by creating new drilling and state-royalty opportunities on federal lands such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a way to help the state’s economy.

He maintained that more Alaska energy production is the best way to reduce energy costs, and charged Peltola with voting “against producing more Alaskan energy” when she served in Congress. He said if she wins, she will enable national Democrats who oppose resource development in Alaska.

Peltola fired back that she’s been “a strong supporter of drilling in Alaska,” and helped get ConocoPhillips’ large Willow oil field across the finish line under former President Joe Biden.

“And that is not the issue here,” she said as the discussion centered on the economy. “The issue is the Strait of Hormuz being closed and this never-ending war in Iran.”

Sullivan, who has closely aligned himself with Trump, said the war “needs to end soon.”

But Sullivan, who has taken credit for a multibillion-dollar military buildup in Alaska, has repeatedly voted against War Powers Act resolutions to end or limit U.S. military involvement in Iran.

He said that Iran “has killed thousands of American troops” and is the largest sponsor of state terrorism.

When asked by a reporter at the debate what Congress could do to quickly end the war, Sullivan did not provide a clear answer.

“We need to open the Strait of Hormuz, make sure Iran does not get a nuclear weapon,” he said.

Peltola, asked by a reporter if she would vote to end U.S. attacks on Iran, said, “It’s so important that our military be removed and protected. We’ve had 20 servicemen die in conflicts over there already.”

Sullivan, the incumbent in a state that typically leans Republican, trailed Peltola by eight points in the 16-candidate August primary.

The Peltola campaign has also raised — and spent — vast sums of money. Her campaign recently reported raising $32.6 million in total receipts during the campaign, including about $29 million in contributions from individuals and about $3.3 million from political committees. It reports $3.2 million cash on hand.

The Sullivan campaign recently reported $13.9 million in total receipts, including $6.9 million as individual contributions and $6.5 million from political committees. It reports about $5 million cash on hand.

Other groups have also poured millions more dollars in independent expenditures into the race to support either side.

Fireworks flew minutes into the debate, when Sullivan accused his opponent of voting against “pay raises for our troops,” because “she wanted more transgender surgeries” for them.

“That is absurd,“ she said, adding that she voted multiple times for pay raises for troops and two of her sons had served in the military.

”Dan, you should be ashamed of yourself for propagating these lies,“ she said. ”These were set-up votes. The first time I voted on the (National Defense Authorization Act), there was trick language in there that would have prohibited our soldiers from getting healthcare that they needed if they were not stationed in a state that didn’t allow for women’s reproductive healthcare. I’m not doing that to our soldiers, but three other times I voted hard yes in support of our troops.”

Amid the attacks, the competitors discussed substantive issues.

Sullivan said he had put more money in Alaskans’ pockets through tax cuts in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and this year successfully worked to increase funding, by $10 million, for energy subsidies to low-income households in Alaska.

He added that while Peltola served in Congress, she “did nothing” to combat executive actions by former President Joe Biden that he said sought to “shut down our state.”

Peltola replied, “Everything costs too much, and people are living paycheck to paycheck, and even moving to the Lower 48.”

She said she’ll work to “make sure Alaska is more affordable by increasing Alaska oil, gas, and renewable energy,” and cracking down on insurance companies and “corrupt corporations who are jacking up our prices.”

Peltola also said she’d eliminate “the income tax for middle and working class Alaskans,” but did not say how she’d accomplish that.

On healthcare, Peltola said “reckless cuts from Washington D.C.” have threatened coverage for tens of thousands of Alaskans.

If she’s elected, her “immediate priority” will be “reversing the damage to Medicaid and restoring healthcare” tax credits that ended early this year.

Sullivan said the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, last year’s Republican-backed federal reconciliation package, did not cut Medicaid funding for Alaskans at all.

The act cuts spending on Medicaid, a federal program that serves nearly a third of Alaskans, and other assistance programs. New Medicaid work requirements could cause more than 9,000 Alaskans to lose access to the program, according to a state projection.

Sullivan added that, “I actually bucked my party and voted to extend the premium tax credits on Obamacare twice.”

Sullivan’s vote to extend the tax credits came after he had previously voted against similar measures.

Sullivan said he worked to create the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. That new spending was aimed at helping offset cuts to Medicaid in the Big Beautiful Bill.

“But the exciting opportunity here is the Rural Transformation Fund,” he said. “We have the biggest award under that bill that I wrote: $1.4 billion to transform Alaska’s healthcare system, which is a great opportunity for all of us.”

In turn, Peltola criticized the Rural Health Transformation Program, saying “healthcare 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.”

Sullivan replied that he’s “been all over the state seeing the awards that have come out. It is innovation. It’s a great opportunity for our great state.”

Sullivan blasted Peltola over her promises to take on the rigged system in D.C., saying “she defines the rigged system.”

“She served in elected office” but then last year became “a D.C. lobbyist making almost half a million dollars,” he said.

“Mary, you’re walking through the revolving door so much, you must be getting dizzy up here,” he said.

Peltola said that when she lost the race in 2024, she went to work “in Anchorage on Alaskan issues, municipal issues.”

“Dan’s been in D.C. for 12 years and gotten richer every single one of those years,” she said. “That’s the corruption that Alaskans are really sick of, and that’s the corruption that I’ll fight against. Dan went to D.C. with $3 million. He now has $8 million. Dan’s doing just fine, watching out for himself.”

Sullivan said Peltola has been “telling lies throughout this entire campaign and it’s revealed character challenges,” Sullivan said, adding that The New York Times reported on allegations that Peltola had exhibited hostile behavior toward her staff and others, and mentioned that “somebody should die of a botched abortion.”

That led to more bickering between the candidates, prompting the Alaska Public Media moderator to ask the candidates to “have some decorum” and “please stop,” before threatening to cut off their microphones.

Peltola said the election is not “about me on my worst day, and I found so many of these allegations concerning and outright fabrications or mass exaggerations of the truth.”

A reporter at the debate also wanted to know why Sullivan hasn’t similarly denounced Trump’s verbal attacks against people, including against women and people with disabilities.

Sullivan replied that he had denounced comments Trump had made involving former Fox News commentator Megyn Kelly, but did not provide any recent examples.

Trump in 2015 complained that Kelly was out to get him and had “blood coming out of her wherever,” after she had questioned him for calling women he didn’t like “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals.”

Sullivan’s campaign on Friday did not immediately respond to a request to provide that denunciation by Sullivan.

Sullivan did issue a statement in 2016 asking Trump to “step aside” as he ran for his first term in office. That came after Trump had boasted in vulgar language about forcing himself sexually on women.

Since then, Sullivan has closely aligned himself with Trump.

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