The Mary Peltola Endorsement
Why pro-fish, pro-freedom, pro-fracking Rep. Mary Peltola can keep Alaska's congressional district blue in November.
Rep. Mary Peltola faces the steepest climb of any House Democrat, but she’s proven up to the task. Trump won Alaska by ten points in 2020, but in the 2022 midterm, Peltola won by ten points herself - a bigger swing than anywhere in the country. Peltola benefited from Alaska’s unique voting system that encourages moderation: ranked choice voting. And this cycle, she has raised far more than her Republican challenger.
Her plan for November? Continue to win the middle, creating a broad coalition of independents and Republicans who prioritize commonsense policymaking and local issues. To that end, Peltola is laser focused on fish, family, and freedom. She’s even got merch for it!
Why Mary Peltola Can Win
Peltola surprised pundits when she won a special election in August 2022 following the death of Rep. Don Young, the longest-serving Republican in U.S. House history. She then went on to shock them again when she won the election for a full term later that year, defeating far right challengers Sarah Palin and Nick Begich in a top 4 general election. In Alaska, four candidates are on the general election ballot, and voters rank them in order of preference. This not only allows voters to prioritize their candidate selections — it helps moderates build unique coalitions.
Peltola’s focus on local issues coupled with her ability to appeal to Republicans (she was endorsed by Alaska Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski in 2022, and she hired several of the late Rep. Young’s staff) have made her popular in a red state. This cycle, she’s running to the center, with ads mentioning the Willow project featuring Peltola standing in front of an oil pipeline as well as ads showing her commitment to protecting freedoms and the right to privacy.
American politics may be polarized, but Rep. Peltola continues to do what she does best: being pro-fish. She even missed votes over the summer because she was taking time to preserve fish for the winter, an annual family tradition and an important responsibility in Alaskan culture.
Notably, Peltola is also co-chair of the Blue Dog caucus alongside Reps. Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. The trio has rebranded the Blue Dogs over the past two years, bringing vibrant new energy and a slate of centrist Democratic candidates planning to join their ranks come November should they win.
The State
Alaska has always had a unique political culture with an allergy for extremism. In 2010, Sen. Lisa Murkowski famously won a write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to an extreme conservative. Murkowski has been a maverick legislator ever since. In 2012, former Alaska Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Thompkins and a group of independent Democrats wrested control of the state legislature from the far-right and formed a moderate cross-partisan governing coalition that lasted for a decade after. And in 2022, Peltola beat Sarah Palin in the run-off to represent the state’s at-large congressional district with support from Murksowski, becoming the first Alaska Native member of Congress.
The Republican Challenger
In November, Peltola will face a challenge from Nick Begich, who led fellow Republican Nancy Dahlstrom in the August primary election. After coming in third behind Begich, Dahlstrom dropped out of the race, leaving Begich as the most competitive Republican in the top 4 instant run-off for the general election.
Begich ran for this seat in 2022 but came in third behind Palin. A small business owner from a long line of Alaskan politicians, Begich attacked Peltola in an ad for “voting like she lives in San Francisco – not out here.”
This cycle, Begich has received endorsements from members of Congress including Scott Perry, House Speaker Mike Johnson, and Elise Stefanik. Begich has also been endorsed by Trump, and he has the backing of the NRCC, which is spending millions of dollars in attack ads on Peltola.
Join Us
Support Mary Peltola and help her keep Alaska’s congressional seat part of a hopeful Democratic House majority in November via our Win the Middle slate.
Colorado voters are considering a ballot measure to implement an open primary with RCV in the general election. What lessons learned can be shared with a Colorado purple electorate? I'm in interested in facts and real world experience, not partisan hyperbole.