How the phrase 'Lower 48' became a fixture in Alaska's high-stakes Senate race

Alaska's U. S. Senate contest, one of a few that could decide which party controls the chamber in November, has turned on who can credibly claim to speak for Alaskans rather than for outside interests. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is branding former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola as allied with "Lower 48 liberals" who resist more oil and gas drilling, a state industry long central to its economy. Peltola, who is Alaska Native, answers that she confronted then-President Joe Biden to secure approval of the Willow oil project in 2023, over environmentalists' objections, and says she will stand up to Democrats elsewhere in the country. In videos, she also pledges to work with President Donald Trump on additional projects, according to PBS NewsHour.

The framing draws on Alaska's self-image as an isolated, independent place, where many residents hunt and fish to stock their freezers. It also draws on friction with Washington, which controls about 60% of Alaska's land. Democratic administrations have limited logging, mining and drilling, including leasing curbs across about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, while Trump's administration has reversed those curbs and backs Arctic refuge lease sales. Disputes over the Tongass National Forest and federal royalty shares add to the resentment.

Fuel costs driven by the Iran war have squeezed remote communities. Darryl Hugo of Anaktuvuk Pass, who supports Sullivan, says oil funds his town's clinic, school and utilities. Independent voter Robert Sewell describes both candidates as competing to be the "real spokesperson" for the state.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour →