Mary Peltola | |
|---|---|
| Akalleq | |
.jpeg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Alaska's at-large district | |
| Assumed office September 13, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Don Young |
| Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition | |
| Assumed office May 24, 2023 Serving with Jared Golden, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez | |
| Preceded by | Jim Costa |
| Member of the Alaska House of Representatives | |
| In office January 19, 1999 – January 19, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Ivan Ivan |
| Succeeded by | Bob Herron |
| Constituency |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Sattler August 31, 1973 Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. |
| Citizenship | United States Orutsararmiut Native Council |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 7[a] |
| Website | House website |
Mary Sattler Peltola[1][b] (born August 31, 1973) is an American politician and former tribal judge serving as the U.S. representative from Alaska's at-large congressional district since September 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, 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.
Peltola defeated Republicans former governor Sarah Palin and Alaska Policy Forum board member Nick Begich III in an upset in the August 2022 special election to succeed Don Young, who had died that March. It was the first election to take place under the state's new ranked-choice voting system.[4] In winning that election, Peltola became the first Alaska Native member of Congress,[5][6] the first woman to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives,[7] the first person born in Alaska elected to the House,[8] and the first Democrat to serve as Alaska’s representative in the House since Nick Begich Sr. in 1972.[9] She is also the only House member who is Russian Orthodox.[6]
She was reelected to a full term in the state's regularly scheduled election in November 2022.[10] As of 2024, Peltola is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Alaska.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Member Profile: Mary Sattler Peltola". Clerk of the United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "Mary Nelson 25th–25th Legislature (2007–2008)". www.akleg.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ "Mary Kapsner 21st–24th Legislature (1999–2006)". www.akleg.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
washingtonpost-peltola-special-electionwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jonassen, Trine. "Mary Peltola, First Alaska Native in US Congress, Secures Full Term". www.highnorthnews.com.
- ^ a b Brodey, Sam (October 21, 2022). "How a Democrat Won a State With Just 12% Dem Voters". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ Anchorage, Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media- (September 14, 2022). "'I'm here to represent all Alaskans': A close-up look at Mary Peltola's swearing-in".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Griffiths, Shawn (August 12, 2024). "New Research: Populism A Key Factor with Cross-Partisan Support for Alaska's Top 4 Elections". Independent Voter News.
- ^ Peoples, Steve (August 31, 2022). "Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Sarah Palin in Alaska's House special election". PBS News.
- ^ Shepard, Steven (November 23, 2022). "Murkowski, Peltola win in Alaska". POLITICO. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.