This Alaska Race Is a Window Into the Battle for the Senate

Democrat Mary Peltola has many things breaking her way in her bid to unseat Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan in Alaska. But Sullivan has one big thing working for him. Whether that's enough will likely determine whether he wins reelection — while also offering clues about the fate of other red-state Republican senators this year. Alaska is vast, sparsely populated and reliably Republican in federal races. Since entering the union in 1959, the state has elected only four Democrats to the Senate, and just one since 1980. But Alaska also has a quirky side.