Mary Peltola

American politician (born 1973) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mary Sattler Peltola[2][a] (born August 31, 1973) is an American politician and former tribal judge who served as the U.S. representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district from 2022 to 2025. A moderate Blue Dog Democrat, she previously served as a judge on the Orutsararmiut Native Council's tribal court, executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, Bethel city councilor, and member of the Alaska House of Representatives. As of 2025, Peltola is the most recent Democrat to have won or held statewide office in Alaska.

Preceded byJim Costa
Succeeded byLou Correa
Preceded byDon Young
Succeeded byNick Begich III
Quick facts Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition for Policy, Preceded by ...
Mary Peltola
Akalleq
Official portrait, 2022
Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition for Policy
In office
May 24, 2023  January 3, 2025
Preceded byJim Costa
Succeeded byLou Correa
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alaska's at-large district
In office
August 16, 2022  January 3, 2025[a]
Preceded byDon Young
Succeeded byNick Begich III
Member of the Alaska House of Representatives
In office
January 19, 1999  January 19, 2009
Preceded byIvan Ivan
Succeeded byBob Herron
Constituency
  • 38th district (2003–2009)
  • 39th district (1999–2003)
Personal details
BornMary Sattler
(1973-08-31) August 31, 1973 (age 52)
CitizenshipUnited States
Orutsararmiut Native Council
PartyDemocratic
Spouses
  • Jonathan Kapsner
    (divorced)
  • Joe Nelson
    (divorced)
  • (died 2023)
Children7[b]
WebsiteCampaign website
  1. Peltola's official service begins on the date of the special election, while she was not sworn in until September 13, 2022.[1]
  2. Includes three stepchildren
Close

Peltola was first elected to Congress in an August 2022 special election after the death of incumbent Don Young, defeating Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III in an upset. It was the first election to take place under the state's new ranked-choice voting system. Peltola is the first Alaska Native member of Congress, the first woman to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives, the first person born in Alaska elected to the House, and the first Democrat to serve as Alaska's representative in the House since Nick Begich Sr. in 1972.[5][6][7][8][9]

Peltola was reelected to a full term in 2022. She lost re-election in 2024 to Nick Begich III.

In January 2026, Peltola announced that she would run for U.S. Senate in 2026, challenging incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.[10]

Early life and education

Born Mary Sattler, Peltola is Yup'ik (an Alaska Native people) from the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta in Western Alaska.[11][12] She was born in Anchorage on August 31, 1973.[13][14] Her Yup'ik name is Akalleq (transl.the one who rolled).[15][16] Peltola's father, Ward Sattler, a German-American from Nebraska, moved to Alaska to work as a pilot and teacher.[17][18] Her mother, Elizabeth "LizAnn" Piicigaq Williams, is Yup'ik from Kwethluk.[19] Peltola was raised in the communities of Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, Platinum, and Bethel.[20] As a child, she traveled with her father around Alaska as he campaigned for Congressman Don Young.[14]

Peltola studied elementary education at the University of Northern Colorado from 1991 to 1993 and later took courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Alaska Anchorage from 1994 to 1998.[17] As a college student, she worked as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.[14]

In 1995, Peltola won the Miss National Congress of American Indians pageant. In the competition, she performed two Yup'ik dances and wore traditional clothing, including a squirrel skin parka, wolf hair headdress, and mukluks.[21]

Early career

In 1996, Peltola was an intern in the Alaska Legislature. Later that year, she ran for a Bethel region seat, losing to incumbent Ivan Ivan by 56 votes.[14] Peltola worked as the campaign manager for Ivan's challenger, Independent candidate Willie Kasayulie, in the general election.[22] Peltola later worked as a reporter.[14]

Alaska House of Representatives (1999–2009)

In 1998, Peltola was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives,[14] after a successful rematch against Ivan in the Democratic primary.[23] She appeared on the ballot under her maiden name, though she was married to Jonathan Kapsner at the time.[24] She was elected and reelected mostly without or with only minimal opposition. Ivan's return to challenge her in the 2002 primary was the closest contest she faced.[25]

In the House, Peltola served on various standing committees, including Finance, Resources and Health and Social Services. She helped to rebuild the Bush Caucus, a bipartisan group of representatives and senators who represent rural and off-road communities in Alaska.[14][26]

In 2004, Peltola criticized No Child Left Behind Act rules that would impede continuing the practice of administering tests in some western Alaskan schools in the native Yupik language.[27]

Peltola authored a law which allowed teachers to be given exemption from jury duty if they work at schools that had failed to meet adequate annual progress. This was signed into law by governor Frank Murkowski in July 2004.[28]

Local offices (2009–2022)

Peltola testifying before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in 2018

Peltola worked as manager of community development and sustainability for the Donlin Creek Mine from 2008 to 2014. In 2010, after incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski lost her party's primary, Peltola helped run her successful write-in campaign.[14]

Peltola was elected to the Bethel City Council in 2011, and served until her term ended in 2013. She was a lobbyist in Alaska from 2015 to 2017.[29]

After 2016, Peltola served as executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.[30][14] From 2020 to 2021, she served as a judge on the Orutsararmiut Native Council's (ONC) tribal court.[31][32]

U.S. House of Representatives (2022–2025)

Elections

2022 special

Peltola during the 117th Congress

In 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election was conducted under the newly established ranked-choice voting system to fill the seat of Don Young after his death. Some 48 candidates ran in the blanket primary, with the top-four finishers advancing to the general election.

One withdrew and Peltola was one of three candidates to proceed to ranked voting.[33] She advanced to the runoff, the only Democrat to do so. Al Gross, an independent in third place in the primary, dropped out of the ranked choice runoff, leaving two Republicans, former governor Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III.[34] Gross endorsed Peltola and Republican Tara Sweeney after dropping out of the race.[32] Three Alaska voters filed a losing suit to challenge the decision not to allow Republican Tara Sweeney, the fifth placer in the primary, to advance to the runoff.[35] Sweeney subsequently withdrew her candidacy.[36] In the first round of ranked choice, Begich was eliminated. Peltola defeated Palin in the final ranked-choice runoff.

2022

Peltola sought a full term in the 2022 general election.[37] She advanced to the general election in first place, receiving 36.8% of the votes in the primary.[38] Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski, running for her fourth term in the U.S. Senate, told Alaska Federation of Natives Convention delegates that she intended to vote for Peltola as her top choice in the 2022 House election.[39] Murkowski said: "I do not toe the party line just because party leaders have asked... My first obligation is to the people of the state of Alaska."[39]

Ahead of the November 2022 election, Peltola announced endorsements from Don Young's daughters, Joni Nelson and Dawn Vallely, in addition to Don Young's former communications director Zack Brown and several bipartisan political figures.[40][41] Various other friends and former staff of Don Young endorsed Peltola in a formal endorsement letter.[42] Peltola, who received just under 49% of the vote in initial balloting, was declared the winner on November 23. She defeated Palin again with 55% of the ranked-choice vote. (Votes cast for her as the second-place choice on ballots of the eliminated third-place candidate, Nick Begich III, were added to her total.)[43]

2024

The primary election was held on August 20, 2024,[44] with candidates Peltola, Republicans Nick Begich III and Nancy Dahlstrom emerging as the main candidates. After placing third, Dahlstrom withdrew from the race. The four candidates were Begich, Peltola, Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe, and Democratic Eric Hafner.[45]

On November 20, it was announced that Begich had defeated Peltola.[46] In the first round, Begich received 48.42% of the vote against Peltola's 46.36%. After other candidates were eliminated, the final round resulted in Begich receiving 51.3% of the vote against Peltola's 48.7%, making him the winner.[45][47]

Tenure

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swears in Peltola as her husband, Gene "Buzzy" Peltola, looks on

Peltola was sworn in as Alaska's U.S. representative on September 13, 2022.[48] Upon her swearing in, Congress had an Alaska Native (Peltola), four Native Americans (Sharice Davids, Yvette Herrell, Markwayne Mullin, and Tom Cole); and a Native Hawaiian (Kai Kahele) serving simultaneously for the first time ever.[49] She is the fourth Native woman elected to Congress, after Davids, Herrell, and Deb Haaland.

On September 29, 2022, Peltola passed her first bill through the House. The bill would create an Office of Food Security in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Peltola's bill passed the House in a 376–49 vote.[50]

During the 2022 United States railroad labor dispute, Peltola was one of eight House Democrats to vote against a bill that would impose a new contract on railroad workers; several rail unions were voting against it. She said she could not support a contract that did not include paid sick days.[51][52]

In February 2023, Peltola announced that she had chosen Josh Revak, a former Republican state senator who was a competitor in the 2022 special election, to run her Alaska office. Peltola's congressional staffers included Republicans. Her chief of staff, Alex Ortiz, was chief of staff to her predecessor Don Young.[53] In April 2023, Ortiz left her congressional office to take a position with her campaign in Southeast Alaska.[54]

Peltola's office ranked second-highest in staff turnover for the U.S. House of Representatives, with a turnover nearly four times the House average.[55]

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:[56]

Caucus memberships

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

Throughout 2025, Peltola was seen as a possible contender for governor or U.S. senator for the 2026 elections.[59] On January 12, 2026, Peltola declared her candidacy for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.[10]

Political positions

Peltola is a moderate Blue Dog Democrat, and often broke the Democratic party line while serving in the U.S. House.[60][61]

Abortion rights

Peltola at a Planned Parenthood rally in July 2022

Peltola is pro-choice, and has voiced support for codifying Roe v. Wade.[62][63]

Energy

Peltola supports the ConocoPhillips Willow Project and increased oil development within the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska.[64] She urged the White House and the Interior Department to approve the project, which they did.[65][66]

Fisheries

Peltola has focused on fisheries in her election campaigns.[67] She supports reforming the Magnuson–Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, to better protect fisheries and marine ecosystems. She believes that the act's focus on "optimum yield" has privileged economic considerations over environmental ones, and supports amending the act to prioritize the environment.[68]

Gun rights

In her 2024 reelection campaign, Peltola was endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA), making her the only Democratic candidate for Congress endorsed by that group during that election cycle.[69]

Israel

Peltola is pro-Israel, and has broken from her party to vote for measures supporting Israel when she served in the U.S. House.[70]

LGBTQ rights

On April 20, 2023, Peltola voted against the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would have required individuals participating in competitive sports to compete in the category associated with their assigned sex, rather than gender identity. She described the bill as "bullying". Referring to the bill's focus on the transgender community, Peltola stated, "I don't know why on earth, as adults and national leaders, we'd be piling on and targeting them, and trying to make their lives even harder."[71]

Personal life

Peltola is the first U.S. Representative from Alaska to be born in the state. She is an Alaska Native and a member of the Orutsararmiut Native Council.[19] She is Orthodox Christian and belongs to the Orthodox Church in America.[7] As such, she has familiarity with Russian, along with English and Yupik.[72][73][74]

Peltola has four biological children and three stepchildren.[75][76] Her third husband, Eugene "Buzzy" Peltola Jr., served as Alaska director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.[20][75][77] He died in 2023 after the plane he was flying crashed.[78][79] In 2025, Peltola sued the company which owned the aircraft.[80]

Electoral history

State house elections

More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 39, Democratic primary results, 1996[81]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Ivan Ivan 1,228 39.6
Democratic Mary Sattler 1,172 37.8
Western Alaska Independent Democrat Willie Kasayulie 701 22.6
Total votes 3,101 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 39, Democratic primary results, 1998[82]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Sattler 1,667 53.41
Democratic Ivan Ivan (incumbent) 1,233 39.51
Western Alaska Independent Dario Notti 221 7.08
Total votes 3,121 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 39, election results, 1998[83]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Sattler 3,287 72.18
Western Alaska Independent Dario Notti 1,210 26.57
Write-in 57 1.25
Total votes 4,554 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 39, Democratic primary results, 2000[84]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 1,201 100
Total votes 1,201 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 39, election results, 2000[85]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 4,321 97.5
Write-ins 111 2.5
Total votes 4,432 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, Democratic primary results, 2002[86]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 918 64.51
Democratic Ivan Ivan 505 35.49
Total votes 1,423 100%
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, election results, 2002[87]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 3,419 97.28
Write-ins 93 2.72
Total votes 3,419 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, Democratic primary results, 2004[88]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 1,538 100
Total votes 1,538 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, election results, 2004[89]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Kapsner (incumbent) 3,935 97.84
Write-ins 87 2.16
Total votes 3,935 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, Democratic primary results, 2006[90]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Sattler Kapsner (incumbent) 1,451 100
Total votes 1,451 100
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
Alaska House of Representatives, District 38, election results, 2006[91]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Sattler Kapsner (incumbent) 3,553 97.40
Write-ins 95 2.60
Total votes 3,648 100
Close

Bethel City Council elections

More information Candidate, Votes ...
2011 Bethel City Council election[92]
Candidate Votes %
Joseph A. Klejka 504 14.35
Mary Sattler 441 12.55
Richard D. Robb 436 12.41
Gene Peltola Jr. 434 12.35
Kent Harding 419 11.93
Mark Springer 310 8.82
Eric G. Whitney 283 8.06
Eric Middlebrook 277 7.88
Sharon D. Sigmon 273 7.77
Write-in 136 3.87
Close

Note: This election was to fill four seats with two-year terms and two seats with one-year terms. Candidates were given the choice of which seat to fill on the basis of their vote count, with the highest vote count given first preference to decide which length of a term they wanted to fill. Mary Sattler (Mary Peltola), Richard D. Robb, Gene Peltola Jr., and Mark Springer filled two-year terms while Joseph A. Klejka and Kent Harding filled one-year terms.

U.S. House elections

More information Party, Candidate ...
2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special primary election results[93]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Sarah Palin 43,601 27.01
Republican Nick Begich 30,861 19.12
Independent Al Gross[b] 20,392 12.63
Democratic Mary Peltola 16,265 10.08
Republican Tara Sweeney 9,560 5.92
Independent Santa Claus 7,625 4.72
Democratic Christopher Constant 6,224 3.86
Independent Jeff Lowenfels 5,994 3.71
Republican John Coghill 3,842 2.38
Republican Josh Revak 3,785 2.34
Independent Andrew Halcro 3,013 1.87
Democratic Adam Wool 2,730 1.69
Democratic Emil Notti 1,777 1.10
Libertarian Chris Bye 1,049 0.65
Democratic Mike Milligan 608 0.38
Independence John Howe 380 0.24
Independent Laurel Foster 338 0.21
Republican Stephen Wright 332 0.21
Republican Jay Armstrong 286 0.18
Libertarian J. R. Myers 285 0.18
Independent Gregg Brelsford 284 0.18
Democratic Ernest Thomas 199 0.12
Republican Bob Lyons 197 0.12
Republican Otto Florschutz 193 0.12
Republican Maxwell Sumner 133 0.08
Republican Clayton Trotter 121 0.07
Independent Anne McCabe 118 0.07
Republican John Callahan 114 0.07
Independent Arlene Carle 107 0.07
Independent Tim Beck 96 0.06
Independent Sherry Mettler 92 0.06
Republican Tom Gibbons 94 0.06
Independent Lady Donna Dutchess 87 0.05
American Independent Robert Ornelas 83 0.05
Independent Ted Heintz 70 0.04
Independent Silvio Pellegrini 70 0.04
Independent Karyn Griffin 67 0.04
Independent David Hughes 54 0.03
Independent Don Knight 46 0.03
Republican Jo Woodward 44 0.03
Independent Jason Williams 37 0.02
Independent Robert Brown 36 0.02
Independent Dennis Aguayo 31 0.02
Independent William Hibler III 25 0.02
Republican Bradley Welter 24 0.01
Independent David Thistle 23 0.01
Independent Brian Beal 19 0.01
Republican Mikel Melander 17 0.01
Total votes 161,428 100.0
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election[94][95]
Party Candidate Round 1 Round 2
Votes % Transfer Votes %
Democratic Mary Peltola 74,817 39.66% +15,467 91,266 51.48%
Republican Sarah Palin 58,339 30.92% +27,053 86,026 48.52%
Republican Nick Begich 52,536 27.85% -52,536 Eliminated
Write-in 2,974 1.58% -2,974 Eliminated
Total votes 188,666 100.00% 177,423 94.04%
Inactive ballots 0 0.00% +11,243 11,243 5.96%
Democratic gain from Republican
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
2022 Alaska U.S. House of Representatives primary election results[96][97]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Peltola 70,295 36.80
Republican Sarah Palin 57,693 30.20
Republican Nick Begich 50,021 26.19
Republican Tara Sweeney (withdrew) 7,195 3.77
Libertarian Chris Bye[c] 1,189 0.62
Libertarian J. R. Myers 531 0.28
Republican Bob Lyons 447 0.23
Republican Jay Armstrong 403 0.21
Republican Brad Snowden 355 0.19
Republican Randy Purham 311 0.16
Independent Lady Donna Dutchess 270 0.14
Independent Sherry Strizak 252 0.13
American Independent Robert Ornelas 248 0.13
Republican Denise Williams 242 0.13
Independent Gregg Brelsford 241 0.13
Independent David Hughes 238 0.12
Independent Andrew Phelps 222 0.12
Independent Tremayne Wilson 194 0.10
Independent Sherry Mettler 191 0.10
Independent Silvio Pellegrini 187 0.10
Independent Ted Heintz 173 0.09
Independent Davis LeBlanc 117 0.06
Total votes 191,015 100.00
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district election[98]
Party Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Votes % Transfer Votes % Transfer Votes %
Democratic Mary Peltola (incumbent) 128,329 48.68% +1,038 129,433 49.20% +7,460 136,893 54.94%
Republican Sarah Palin 67,732 25.74% +1,064 69,242 26.32% +43,013 112,255 45.06%
Republican Nick Begich 61,431 23.34% +1,988 64,392 24.48% -64,392 Eliminated
Libertarian Chris Bye 4,560 1.73% -4,560 Eliminated
Write-in 1,096 0.42% -1,096 Eliminated
Total votes 263,148 100.00% 263,067 100.00% 249,148 100.00%
Inactive ballots 2,193 0.83% +906 3,097 1.16% +14,765 17,016 5.55%
Democratic hold
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
2024 Alaska U.S. House of Representatives primary election results[99]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Mary Peltola (incumbent) 55,166 50.9
Republican Nick Begich III 28,803 26.6
Republican Nancy Dahlstrom (withdrew) 21,574 19.9
Republican Matthew Salisbury (withdrew) 652 0.6
Independence John Wayne Howe 621 0.6
Democratic Eric Hafner 467 0.4
Republican Gerald Heikes 424 0.4
Independent Lady Donna Dutchess 195 0.2
Independent David Ambrose 154 0.1
No Labels Richard Grayson 143 0.1
Independent Richard Mayers 119 0.1
Independent Samuel Claesson 89 0.1
Total votes 108,407 100.00
Close
More information Party, Candidate ...
2024 Alaska's at-large congressional district election[100][101]
Party Candidate First choice Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
Votes % Votes % Transfer Votes % Transfer Votes %
Republican Nick Begich III 159,550 48.41% 159,777 48.49% +267 160,044 48.77% +4,817 164,861 51.22%
Democratic Mary Peltola (incumbent) 152,828 46.37% 152,948 46.42% +1,313 154,261 47.01% +2,724 156,985 48.78%
Independence John Wayne Howe 13,010 3.95% 13,210 4.01% +661 13,871 4.23% -13,871 Eliminated
Democratic Eric Hafner 3,417 1.04% 3,558 1.08% -3,558 Eliminated
Write-in 750 0.23% Eliminated
Total votes 329,555 329,493 328,176 321,846
Inactive ballots[d] 6,360 +1,317 7,677 +6,330 14,007
Republican gain from Democratic
Close

See also

Notes

  1. /pɛlˈtlə/ pel-TOH-lə; née Sattler; Yup'ik: Akalleq; formerly Nelson[3] and Kapsner[4]
  2. Gross withdrew from the general election following his victory in the primary.
  3. Chris Bye placed fifth in the nonpartisan primary. However, the fourth-place finisher — Tara Sweeney — withdrew, placing Bye in the general election.
  4. Includes overvotes, undervotes, and exhausted ballots where another candidate was not ranked.

References

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