Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola suffers minor injuries in Anchorage car crash, campaign schedule changed

Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola and members of her family sustained minor injuries in a two-vehicle collision in Anchorage, prompting her campaign to adjust upcoming schedule commitments in the final stretch of the midterm race in the US state of Alaska.

The crash occurred on Saturday night in the vicinity of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) convention, where candidate events and campaign appearances had been underway over the weekend. The campaign said another vehicle crashed into the one transporting Peltola and her family as they were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet.

Campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement: 'Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits.' She said that, on the advice of medical professionals, Peltola's upcoming events in Fairbanks and Bethel would be rescheduled for later in the week as she takes time to recover.

Bruce added that Peltola is disappointed the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour, and is eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans.

The former congresswoman missed Sunday's campaign tour events and will be resting on Monday before returning to the trail on Tuesday, in the final week before the midterm vote.

Peltola is contesting Alaska's Senate seat against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola, an Alaska Native, is hoping to become the first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent the state in the Senate. Both campaigns have tried to rally support from Alaska Native voters, a key constituency in the race.

President Donald Trump, who held a rally in support of Sullivan earlier this month, said on Friday that he had told his administration to sue to block certification of the race if the incumbent loses. The lawsuit cites potential confusion with another candidate listed on the ranked-choice ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.

Alaska allows voters to rank their top picks rather than choosing a single candidate. Voters will have four choices, including Sullivan, Peltola and the other Dan Sullivan, a candidate Republicans have called a decoy meant to confuse voters.

Early on Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the ranked-choice ballot was meant to confuse voters so that Senator Dan Sullivan would lose votes to a man of the same name. He urged voters to vote 'yes' against ranked-choice voting on Ballot Measure 2.

Peltola has outraised Sullivan through October, $33 million to nearly $14 million, but Sullivan reported having more campaign cash, $5.1 million to Peltola's $3.2 million. Republicans have outspent Democrats in the race, $42 million to $38 million.