(The Center Square) — One of the closest U.S. Senate races in the country is in Alaska between candidates who offer key similarities and differences in their tax policies.
Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, will face off against Democrat Mary Peltola in November with control of Congress on the line. Decision Desk Headquarters gives Peltola a slight edge in polling, with as much as a 52% chance of flipping the critical Senate seat.
Democrats in Congress need to flip four seats in the U.S. Senate to gain control of the upper chamber while holding all of their current seats.
Sullivan is dealing with the added factor of competing against two other Republican candidates, one that shares his name. In Alaska, the top four vote getters in the primary move on to the general election.
Dan J. Sullivan, a former schoolteacher, is in the race against the incumbent Senator and Democratic candidate. Gerald Hiekes, another Republican, joined the race after Democratic candidate David Leslie withdrew.
With three Republicans running, the odds of a split vote appear increasingly likely. When measured on tax policy, though, Peltola and Sullivan share many similarities and a few key differences.
Sullivan touted his vote for the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, which expanded the child tax credit, cut rates for middle-income families and increased the standard tax deduction. Sullivan called for Congress to make the tax cuts in the legislation permanent, including work requirements for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
“We prevented the largest tax hike in history–more than $4 trillion–and locked in permanent, lower tax rates,” Sullivan said.
Peltola, on the other hand, has focused her tax reform efforts on supporting annual tax credits for families. She called for eliminating taxes for families earning less than $92,000 and giving tax incentives to companies that provide “fair wages.”
Peltola pushed for a larger expansion of the child tax credit from its current rate of $2,200 per year to $3,600 annually per child under the age of six and $3,000 per child from ages six to 17.
“The expanded child tax policy reduced child poverty by over 40% and was a massive economic aid to many Alaskan families,” Peltola wrote on social media. “That’s why I’m going to fight for its renewal in Congress.”
Sullivan, alongside Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., introduced the Child Care Tax Benefit Outreach and Assistance Act, legislation that would create a position within the IRS to inform families of available child tax credits.
“I hear repeatedly from Alaska parents that the lack of affordable child care is one of their top concerns, and the data backs that up,” Sullivan said. “This legislation will help employers, providers, and other nonprofits better utilize federal tools for employees—specifically the significant expansion of federal incentives in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act for child care facilities and the provisions that expand opportunities and support for working families.”
Peltola and Sullivan have also diverged on tax cuts for corporations. Peltola maintains a policy of allowing Alaskan businesses to receive tax cuts but preventing out-of-state corporations from taking in the same benefits.
She said out-of-state corporations have overharvested Alaska’s critical fish population and need to be regulated.
“Our fight is not against small and mid-size boats that keep communities like Kodiak strong. It’s against the out-of-state corporate greed that leads to wanton waste and damage to our sea floor,” Peltola said in a September debate.
Sullivan called for providing more incentives for the energy industry to extract resources from Alaska through tax legislation. He touted efforts in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to allow for permanent development in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, National Petroleum Reserve Alaska and the Cook Inlet.
“These provisions are focused on creating good-paying jobs, generating billions of dollars in new revenues for the state, and putting Alaskans back in the driver’s seat of our economic future,” Sullivan said.
Additionally, Peltola called for introducing tax credits for renters spending more than 30% of their income on housing and expanding blocks on corporate housing ownership. She said she would support the ROAD to Housing Act, which places restrictions on institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes.
Sullivan voted in favor of the legislation, signaling a key area of agreement between the two candidates. The incumbent senator also proposed middle-income housing tax credits for 50% the cost of a newly built home and 20% the cost of a rehabilitated home.
“Mary Peltola cheered on Democrats’ reckless spending that sent costs soaring. But Senator Dan Sullivan is fighting tirelessly to unleash economic opportunity for families and make housing affordable again,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee Regional Press Secretary Nick Puglia.
Pelotla has a significant fundraising lead over Sullivan with more than $18.5 million in contributions. Sullivan follows behind with more than $11.7 million in contributions.
The two candidates diverge with cash on hand, as Peltola holds $4.6 million compared to Sullivan’s $7.2 million.
Peltola received $1.1 million from the Fish Family Freedom Fund, an organization to provide support for Peltola’s campaign and fish farming issues. She also received $10,000 from the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers PAC and $2,000 from Timothy Hannegan, a consultant at Penn Avenue Partners in Bethesda, Md.
Sullivan received $10,000 from the National Rifle Association PAC, $5,000 from the National Beer Wholesalers PAC and $5,000 from the Employees of Palantir PAC.
Election officials will begin mailing absentee ballots to voters on Oct. 9. Early in-person voting is from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. Absentee ballots returned by mail must be postmarked by Election Day.
Polls are open in Alaska from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. For more information, visit the Alaska Division of Elections website, at elections.alaska.gov. For results on Election Day, visit thecentersquare.com/alaska.
