Mary Peltola's Historic Campaign in Alaska

As the midterm elections approach, there are many headline-making elections and tight races to keep an eye on, in California and across the country. Some make the news regularly because of their audacious candidates: Herschel Walker in Georgia and Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania grab headlines with scandals both past and present and increasingly controversial statements. But there are crucial and history-making races that are not being covered as much in the media, such as the Alaska race for the House, with Democrat Mary Peltola facing off against two different Republican opponents in Alaska’s new ranked-voting system. 

Who is Mary Peltola?

Mary Peltola was elected in Alaska’s 2022 special election after the passing of Republican representative Don Young. Her election is historic, as she is the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress. She beat infamous Republican politician and former vice-president nominee Sara Palin in the special election race, and is running in the November midterms to earn a full term as a representative. She will be running against Palin once more.

How was she elected?

In 2020, Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2 passed, which means that the top four candidates in the primary election (which is not divided by political party) move forward to the general election. Then, voters will rank their choices for each position. This new system is in part how Peltola was elected; Alaska is a majority-Republican state, but Palin and Nick Begich III split the Republican vote. Begich, Palin, and Peltola will all be running against each other again in the November election.

What does Peltola advocate for?

Mary Peltola is popular in Alaska for her pro-fishing and pro-hunting standpoint, an integral industry and part of life in Alaska. She focused on fishing in her campaign with the slogan “Fish, Family, & Freedom,” and has both commercial and personal experience with fishing. Her background fishing since early childhood and working in the fishing industry connects her to Alaskans who have personal experience with fishing and whose livelihoods depend on it. Concerns relating to the fishing industry could certainly connect her to some of the conservative citizens of her state, as issues relating to this crucial industry could cross party lines. Fish, after all, are neither registered Democrats or Republicans. 

Peltola is advocating for cautionary measures and protection of Alaskan salmon, which are at an all time low in their population. Salmon and other fish are integral to both subsistence and commercial fishing in Alaska, but their populations have been depleting every year. Ecosystem collapse for many species of fish would spell ruin for Alaska’s economy, as well as the Alaska Natives and other Alaskans who subsistence-fish. Although this is a subject rarely discussed in national politics, Peltola’s focus on fisheries and sustaining Alaska’s fish populations have already made her an attractive candidate to represent Alaska. 

Peltola’s fish-focused platform is also more environmentally friendly. She is against trawler operations, which sweep a net through the water and catch anything in its path. This method of fishing is disastrous for lake and ocean ecosystems. Bottom trawling, where a net is cast onto the ocean or lake floor, is especially disastrous, killing plants, molusks, sponges, and anything else in the way of the net. Even fish or larger animals that are thrown back into the water can be already killed by the trawling operation. Protecting fish populations for future generations of people also protects the fish populations themselves as well as the food webs that rely on them. 

Instead of focusing on the increasingly fragmented and polarized political climate on the national level, she speaks to the issues that are her constituents greatest concerns. This strategy is especially useful in a Republican-majority state, where focusing on social issues might appeal to voters far less than their economic interests in Alaska’s primary industries. As a member of congress, she has already mentioned her strong standpoint of being “pro-fish” on the house floor.

This is Peltola’s most emphasized portion of her platform, but she is also pro-choice, arguing that the right to choose is an issue of freedom above all. A policy that differs Peltola from many other Democrats in the federal government is her support of the Second Amendment and the ownership of guns. It makes sense that Peltola is running on a pro-firearm platform considering their role in rural life and hunting culture, along with fighting for a seat in a majority-Republican state. Being anti-firearm could turn Republican voters who were attracted to her pro-fish platform away.

What are Peltola’s chances of winning in November? 

Peltola won both because of her pro-fish platform and the ranked-choice voting system recently implemented in Alaska. Palin was backed by former president Donald Trump, while Begich had the support of the Alaska Republican party. If Republicans cannot unify behind one of their two candidates, Peltola is likely to be elected for a full term; but there are signs that Palin and Begich are working together to try to avoid this outcome. Palin and Begich are shifting their messaging for the midterm election and have both stated that they want voters to rank the other in second in the ranked-choice voting system, to give the Republican party an edge in the election over Peltola. Because Palin is an especially divisive candidate due to her long and tumultuous history in Republican politics, some Republicans might vote for Begich on their ranked-choice ballots without putting Palin in as their second choice, leaving the opportunity open for Peltola due to the new voting system. This is what occurred in the special election, which allowed Peltola to win the seat in a majority-Republican state. Older conservatives are also suspicious of the ranked-choice system, and therefore may only vote for their first choice and ignore the ranking-system on the ballot entirely. This would also benefit Peltola’s chances of election to a full term. 

Peltola’s election to finish Don Young’s term is already a historic achievement for Alaska’s Democratic party and a milestone for Alaska Native representation in the federal government. Despite Republicans being the majority party in Alaska, Peltola could surely win in the November election because of divisions among Alaska Republicans and her pro-fish and uniquely Alaskan political platform.