Sullivan and Begich ramp up fundraising ahead of 2026 elections

Miami Herald

21-04-2025

Laying the groundwork for 2026 reelection campaigns, U.S. Rep. Nick Begich and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan each reported raising around $800,000 in the first three months of the year, according to campaign finance reports filed recently.
Begich reported bringing in more than $824,000. Nearly $272,000 - a full third of his haul - was transferred to his account from political action committees working to maintain the Republican majority in the House, including ones called Defend Our Majority, Grow the Majority and Emmer Majority Builders.
No other candidates so far have announced they are running against Begich in next year's election, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has identified Alaska's lone U.S. House seat as a so-called "district in play" for the 2026 election cycle, signaling Democrats' readiness to fund an effort to unseat Begich.
Begich unseated Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola in the November election. Peltola has since joined a lobbying firm, and has not announced any plans to run in 2026.
In a statement earlier this month, DCCC chair Suzan DelBene said the committee "is already working to recruit authentic and battle-ready candidates in Alaska who reflect the state and will work to better Alaskans' lives."
Begich reported raising more than $227,000 from political action committees, including ones associated with ConocoPhillips, Alaska Airlines and GCI, among others. Most of the individual contributions reported by Begich came from out of state.
Paul Smith, a Begich campaign spokesperson, attributed Begich's out-of-state support to his legislative agenda. Begich has taken up national issues in Congress, including with a bill to establish a national bitcoin reserve.
Despite focusing his fundraising Outside, "Begich is a champion for Alaska, having already spent time in Ketchikan, Juneau, Kodiak, Anchorage, the Mat-Su, and Fairbanks," Smith wrote.
Begich's Alaska supporters include lobbyist Kristopher Knauss; GCI executive Ronald Duncan; Goldbelt Inc. executive Pierre McHugh; Arctic Slope Regional Corp. Chairman Crawford Patkotak; and lobbyist Michael Pawlowski, among others.
Sullivan reported nearly $800,000 in receipts this year, of which roughly $540,000 was transferred from or contributed by political action committees. Sullivan's individual contributor list includes a who's-who of executives and billionaires with Alaska interests and investments.
His campaign backers include Michael Wirth, chief executive of Chevron; oil geologist Bill Armstrong; multiple ConocoPhillips executives; Santos executive Joe Balash; GCI President Ronald Duncan; Enstar President John Sims; Furie owner John Hendrix; Calista Corp. President Andrew Guy; AT&T executive Jenifer Robertson; and Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Chief Executive Natasha Singh, among others.
Sullivan also received the maximum allowable contribution from Paul Singer, a hedge fund billionaire who previously flew U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to Alaska on a private jet, according to reporting from ProPublica.
Sullivan reported spending $94,000 on campaign-related expenses in the first three months of the year, leaving him with $2,800,000 at the end of the quarter.
Sullivan's biggest expense was $27,500 on fundraising consulting.
Begich spent around $260,000, leaving him with nearly $670,000 at the end of March.
Begich has paid nearly $70,000 to WinRed, a fundraising platform associated with Republican candidates. He spent nearly $54,000 on mailing services, and more than $26,000 on fundraising.
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