Alaska Senate candidate sustains "minor injuries" in car accident

Washington — Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola sustained "minor injuries" in a car accident, her campaign said Sunday.

"Mary and her family sustained minor injuries but are in good spirits," Peltola's campaign manager, Cheryl Bruce, said in a statement. 

Peltola and her family were on their way to the Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Banquet when the vehicle transporting them was struck by another driver, her campaign said, causing injuries that required medical attention.

Bruce said at the advice of medical professionals, Peltola was rescheduling campaign events "as she takes time to recover." 

"Mary is disappointed that the accident is delaying the start of her Alaska Always Tour, and she is eager to get back on the campaign trail to speak directly with Alaskans about her plan to take on the rigged system and lower costs for working families," Bruce said. 

Peltola's events on Sunday and Monday would be rescheduled in the coming days, the campaign said.

Peltola, 53, is vying to unseat GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan to become the first Democrat elected to the Senate since 2008, four years after she became the first Democrat to represent the state in the House in 50 years . She was the top vote-getter in the August top-four primary, setting up the general election contest against Sullivan and two other candidates under Alaska's ranked-choice election system.