Mary Peltola and family hurt in Anchorage three-vehicle crash; campaign reschedules events

Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska, was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries along with others in her vehicle after a three-vehicle collision in Anchorage on Saturday evening, Oct. 24, the Anchorage Police Department said Sunday. Her campaign said it would reschedule events planned for Sunday and Monday.¹²

What police said

The collision happened about 6:55 p.m. at O’Malley Road and Lake Otis Parkway, according to the department’s release. Police said a vehicle traveling west on O’Malley Road hit the back of a second vehicle, which then collided with a third vehicle; the second and third vehicles were both stopped at the light.¹

Peltola was among the occupants of the second vehicle, all of whom were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the release said. The driver of the first vehicle, who was alone, was also taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, and the occupant of the third vehicle declined to be taken for medical care. Police said the circumstances are under investigation under case number 26-27979. The release does not mention any citations.¹

What the campaign said

The campaign said Peltola and her family were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet and that their injuries required medical attention, Alaska’s News Source reported.³ “Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits,” campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said, CBS News reported.²

Bruce said that on the advice of medical professionals, Peltola’s events in Fairbanks and Bethel would be rescheduled, according to Alaska’s News Source, which reported that the Fairbanks stop had been set for Sunday and the Bethel stop for Monday and that both would move to later in the week.³ Bruce also said Peltola was disappointed the crash had delayed the start of her eight-stop “Alaska Always Tour” for the final week of the campaign, and The Associated Press reported that the campaign said she would resume events Tuesday with a stop in Homer.²⁴ The tour is scheduled to end Oct. 31 in Palmer, Alaska’s News Source reported.³

None of the reports reviewed included a statement about the crash from any other Senate candidate.⁴²³

The election

Alaska holds a ranked-choice general election on Nov. 3; the sample ballot lets voters rank up to five choices for U.S. Senate, including a write-in line.⁵ The Division of Elections general election candidate list, last updated Sept. 25, shows these U.S. Senate candidates and their voter registration:⁶

• Gerald L. Heikes, registered Republican
• Sidney “Sid” Hill, undeclared (certified write-in)
• Heather McElwain, registered Libertarian (certified write-in)
• Mary Peltola, registered Democrat
• Dan S. Sullivan, registered Republican (incumbent)
• Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., registered Republican

The sample ballot prints four of those names and shows no party designation beside Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s name.⁵

What the records do not show

• What caused the collision; police said the circumstances are under investigation.¹
• Whether anyone was cited; the release does not say.¹
• How many people were in Peltola’s vehicle or who they were, apart from Peltola.¹
• New dates for the Fairbanks and Bethel events.³