Mary Peltola

Mary Peltola
Akalleq
Official portrait, 2022
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Alaska's at-large district
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 13, 2022
Preceded byDon Young
Co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 24, 2023
Preceded byJim Costa
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
Born
Mary Sattler

(1973-08-31) August 31, 1973 (age 51)
Anchorage, Alaska, U.S.
CitizenshipUnited States
Orutsararmiut Native Council
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Jonathan Kapsner
​
(divorced)​
Joe Nelson
​
(divorced)​
​
(died 2023)​
Children7[a]
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website
Mary Peltola's voice
Mary Peltola on her support for S.5087, a bill to amend the Not Invisible Act of 2019 Recorded December 21, 2022

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][10]

Peltola was reelected to a full term in the state's regularly scheduled election in November 2022.[11] She was defeated in her 2024 re-election bid by Republican Nick Begich III.[12][13][14]


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  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "Mary Nelson 25th–25th Legislature (2007–2008)". www.akleg.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  3. ^ "Mary Kapsner 21st–24th Legislature (1999–2006)". www.akleg.gov. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2023.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference washingtonpost-peltola-special-election was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Jonassen, Trine. "Mary Peltola, First Alaska Native in US Congress, Secures Full Term". www.highnorthnews.com.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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)
  8. ^ Griffiths, Shawn (August 12, 2024). "New Research: Populism A Key Factor with Cross-Partisan Support for Alaska's Top 4 Elections". Independent Voter News.
  9. ^ Peoples, Steve (August 31, 2022). "Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Sarah Palin in Alaska's House special election". PBS News.
  10. ^ "The first Alaska Native elected to Congress: Who is the woman who defeated Sarah Palin, Mary Peltola?". Deseret News. September 1, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  11. ^ Shepard, Steven (November 23, 2022). "Murkowski, Peltola win in Alaska". POLITICO. Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  12. ^ "2024 House General Election Results | DDHQ". decisiondeskhq.com.
  13. ^ Mueller, Julia (November 16, 2024). "Mary Peltola ousted by GOP opponent Nick Begich in Alaska House race". The Hill. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  14. ^ "Nicholas Begich projected to win Alaska US House-at-large race". NewsNation. Retrieved November 18, 2024.