​“I'm done with politicians getting richer while things get tougher here at home. Systemic change is the only way to bring down grocery costs, save our fisheries, lower energy prices, and build new housing Alaskans can actually afford. Systemic change is the only way to fill our homes with abundance. My agenda for Alaska will always be: fish, family, freedom. These values have been the core values of my campaigns since the very beginning.
But if we’re going to secure Alaska’s future, we need another priority: fighting corruption. I'm running for Alaska's Senate seat because it is the fight for our future.” (Campaign Announcement, 1/12/26)
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To hear directly from Ms. Peltola, watch this short video:
BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE
Mary Peltola made history in 2022 as the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, the first woman to represent Alaska in the House, and the first Alaskan-born individual to serve in this chamber.
Peltola is Yup'ik and grew up in the close-knit communities of Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, Platinum, and Bethel. She experienced firsthand the life that many Alaskans lead. As mother of seven children, her love and dedication to her family shines through in everything she does. A lifelong Alaskan, she began fishing with her father at age six and worked as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game during college.
At 24, Peltola was elected to the Alaska State House of Representatives where she served for ten years. In that role she chaired and rebuilt the Bush Caucus helping to pass legislation and influence budgets that improved lives in rural Alaska. In the vast expanse of Alaska, with its 228 Alaska Native Tribes, Peltola has gone above and beyond to represent all Alaskans.
Peltola beat former Gov. Sarah Palin in a 2022 special election to fill the seat of Don Young, a longtime congressman who died that year. It was an upset win that flipped the seat to blue for the first time since the 1970s. She then won a full term that fall, with Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system vaulting her past Palin and Nick Begich III, another Republican. But Begich won a rematch in 2024, ousting Peltola by two percentage points.
After her time in Congress, Peltola joined Holland & Hart as Senior Director of Alaska Affairs working on projects to improve economic conditions in the state.
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ON THE ISSUES
Mary Peltola’s mantra "Fish, Family, and Freedom," expresses core Alaskan values. She successfully delivered for Alaskans during her two years in Congress.
After 30 years of delays, Peltola worked with the delegation to secure the Willow Oil Project and resulting well-paid jobs across the state. After five years of delays, she won a ban on foreign trawled fish.
Peltola has brought more than $9 billion to Alaska for infrastructure and rural broadband and hundreds of millions of dollars to renovate the Railbelt Energy Grid lowering energy prices.
Peltola is dedicated to development, protecting fish, reducing energy prices, and building an Alaska where people can remain in the state, raise their kids, and watch their grandkids grow up.
Mary Peltola is a moderate Blue Dog Democrat who served as co-Chair of the Blue Dog Coalition for Policy from 2023 to 2025.
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POLITICS IN ALASKA
Alaska has been a Republican-leaning state for at least the last 50 years. Republicans have won the state's Electoral College votes in every election since the state’s inception except for the 1964 Lyndon Johnson landslide. Currently, both U.S. Senators are Republican as is the state’s sole member of the House.
Mary Peltola is considered perhaps the only person who could pose a threat to Senator Dan Sullivan, a Republican former state attorney general who is up for re-election this year. He was re-elected in 2020 with 53.9% of the vote so is a formidable opponent.
Alaska has an open, “jungle” primary system with ranked choice voting in general elections. The state’s open primary is scheduled for August 18. The top four vote-getters will advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation. Peltola’s reputation as a non-partisan, moderate problem solver should serve her well in this context.
Though Trump carried the state by 13% in ‘24, both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rate this seat as only Lean R – acknowledging Peltola’s competitive position.