Mary Peltola’s Senate Campaign and Salary Are Funded by Epstein Cash

Former Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska is running to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Democrats hope to pick up the seat in their push to reclaim control of Congress and thwart President Trump’s America-first agenda.

But there’s a big Jeffrey Epstein-related cloud hanging over Peltola’s campaign, and Democrats know it. That’s why they’re attacking Sullivan for his September 2025 vote to table a motion that would have ordered the Justice Department to release the Epstein files. Democrats are lying about Sullivan’s voting record, of course, and ignoring the fact that Last November, the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed the Senate with unanimous consent. Including the consent of Sen. Sullivan.

Contrast that with Mary Peltola’s record, and the difference could not be more apparent. In 2023, Peltola was named the “Woman of the Year” by Rhode Island Rep. Seth Magaziner. Magaziner’s father, Ira Magaziner, was a close associate of Jeffrey Epstein who repeatedly flew on Epstein’s private jet and was also in Epstein’s black book.

Campaign finance reports also reveal that Peltola has received significant campaign cash from Epstein associates during both her House and Senate campaigns. One of those donors is Reid Hoffman, who visited Epstein’s island multiple times. Tim Zagat and his wife Nina also had social connections with Epstein, and Tim Zagat flew on Epstein’s private jet to a 2002 TED Conference in Monterey. They donated $13,000 to Peltola’s campaigns. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who attended dinners with Epstein at the invitation of Google co-founder Sergey Brin; he donated more than $6,000 to Peltola. Melissa French-Gates is the ex-wife of Bill Gates, who appeared numerous times in the Epstein files; she gave Peltola’s campaigns $9,500. 

Other Epstein associates who donated to Peltola’s House and Senate campaigns over the years include Jon Stryker, Peter Kellner, Laura Lauder, Mark Nunnelly, Cale and Django Bonderman, Laurie Michaels, and Steven Spielberg.

All told, Mary Peltola has taken more than $140,000 in donations from Epstein associates.

Perhaps that’s why Peltola never fought for transparency on the Epstein files while she was in Congress. Her record not only shows no legislation to address the Epstein files, but Peltola never managed to get even one bill signed into law. 

And on top of all that, it turns out Peltola is currently paying herself a salary through her Senate campaign. The Alaska Story reports that Peltola’s campaign payroll has 21 staffers, or one for every 28,000 Alaska voters, including campaign managers, communications specialists, and field organizers. Campaign finance reports show that Peltola herself is getting a salary of over $5,500 a month from Alaskans for Mary. In March, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission over Peltola’s improper spending of leftover House campaign funds following her 2024 defeat. The NRSC said Peltola used those funds for personal travel, meals, and other expenses.

Democrats are desperately trying to smear Dan Sullivan with selective outrage over a single procedural vote and small donations from names that appeared in Epstein’s orbit, but they conveniently ignore his later unanimous-consent support for the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Meanwhile, Mary Peltola has quietly collected more than $140,000 from a long list of Epstein associates, including Reid Hoffman (who visited the island), the Zagats (who flew on the plane), Eric Schmidt, Melissa French-Gates, and others. She never lifted a finger for Epstein transparency while in Congress, never got a single bill signed into law, and is now paying herself a monthly salary from campaign funds even as her former House campaign faces an NRSC complaint over improper personal spending.

Voters in Alaska need to see through the lies and projection. Sullivan has a record of supporting actual disclosure and taking comparatively modest contributions; Peltola has deep financial ties to the Epstein network, zero legislative accomplishments on the issue, and a campaign that treats donor money as a personal paycheck. Peltola doesn’t have a leg to stand on here, and the louder Democrats shout about Sullivan, the clearer it becomes they know it.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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