In Alaska, the “Lower 48” label becomes a US Senate race issue — Fortune
In Alaska, the term “Lower 48” — used to refer to the 48 contiguous US states in contrast to Alaska — has become one of the key elements of the US Senate race campaign. Republican Senator Dan Sullivan is using the label to criticize Democrat Mary Peltola, a former member of the House of Representatives. As Fortune reports, the election in the state is among those that could affect control of the Senate after the November vote.
Dispute over oil production
Sullivan’s campaign links Peltola to “Lower 48 liberals” who opposed expanding oil and gas production. The oil industry has been of major importance to the state’s economy for decades. Peltola, an Alaska Native, has responded by saying that she opposed then-President Joe Biden in seeking approval for the major Willow oil project in 2023.
She also said she is prepared to oppose anyone, including Democrats from the “Lower 48,” if they do not understand Alaska’s needs. In videos supporting Willow, Peltola said she would work with President Donald Trump to advance new oil and gas production projects.
Tense relations with the federal government
Alaska has long had a contentious relationship with the federal government, which owns about 60% of the state’s land. Debates have been particularly sharp over restrictions on logging, mineral extraction, and oil and gas development imposed by Democratic administrations for environmental reasons.
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The administrations of Barack Obama and Joe Biden barred leasing on about half of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The Trump administration repealed these and other restrictions as part of its policy of expanding oil and gas production and supports the sale of lease rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The candidates’ origins became part of the campaign
Peltola, who belongs to the Yup’ik people, was born in Alaska and grew up fishing on the Kuskokwim River. Her campaign slogan is “Fish, Family, Freedom.” Sullivan was born in Ohio and moved to Alaska in the late 1990s. He previously served as the state’s attorney general, Alaska commissioner of natural resources, and an assistant secretary of state in the administration of George W. Bush.
Sullivan spokesperson Nate Adams said that being an Alaskan means loving the state, fighting for its residents every day, and ensuring that the state’s future is determined by Alaskans themselves rather than “Lower 48 liberals.” Peltola’s campaign, in turn, linked Sullivan to donors from special-interest groups in the “Lower 48.”
