With the 2026 midterms approaching, the decision to rescind federal funding for public radio is shaping up as a potential political liability for Republicans. The cut is now colliding directly with a competitive US Senate race, and could be expanding to more states soon.
Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan is coming under renewed criticism over his vote to rescind federal funding for public broadcasting, as an Alaska-based advocacy group ramps up an advertising campaign focused on the consequences for rural and underserved communities.
The 907 Initiative has expanded its ongoing “Yes Man Dan” campaign with new ads spotlighting Sullivan’s support for cutting public media funding, arguing the move threatens a communications lifeline relied upon across much of the state, particularly in rural areas. The commercials come as Alaska’s 2026 US Senate race is beginning to take shape.
Sullivan, first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2020, has formally declared his candidacy and remains the only Republican incumbent in the race. Businessman Christopher Miklos has also filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission, signaling a potential Republican primary challenge.
On the Democratic side, former US Representative Mary Peltola has declared her candidacy after serving Alaska’s at-large congressional district from 2022 through 2025. She is joined in the Democratic field by Ann Diener, a sales executive at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.
Federal dollars supported 27 public radio stations in Alaska, many serving vast regions with limited access to newspapers, broadband, or cellular service.
907 Initiative Executive Director Aubrey Wieber said, “Public radio and public lands are not abstract issues in Alaska – they are essential to daily life. When Senator Sullivan votes to cut public radio funding…those choices have real consequences for families, rural communities, and local economies across our state.”
After 58 years, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board voted to dissolve the organization earlier this month following Congress’s decision to rescind all federal funding in July and deny future CPB budget requests at the behest of the White House. Of the 27 stations, 14 Tribal and Native-serving public radio stations in Alaska will receive temporary federal funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs following the $1.1 billion rescission.
I suspect more representatives and senators covering rural communities who supported the CPB cuts will have to answer to their constituents over the next few election cycles as more public stations disappear and they find out (shocker) that plenty of Republicans also watched their local public TV station and listened to their local public radio station and (amazingly) nobody is stepping in to fill that void.
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