Former Alaska Congressman Mary Peltola announced her candidacy for the state’s Senate race in a video released on January 12th. Peltola’s campaign slogan is “Alaska First.”
In the early morning of January 12th, Peltola posted a video on her personal website and Facebook account declaring her entry into the Alaska Senate race. She emphasized the need for systemic reforms to lower the cost of living, save the fishing industry, and restore prosperity to the people of Alaska. Peltola highlighted the high price of milk in rural Alaska, reaching up to $17 per pound. She introduced the “Alaska First” platform and vowed to fight for “Fish, Family, Freedom.”
Peltola, a moderate Democrat, occasionally aligns with the Republican Party on energy and immigration issues. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer successfully persuaded Peltola to challenge Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in the upcoming election. Sullivan, a veteran senator, took office as Alaska’s eighth U.S. Senator on January 6, 2015, and currently serves on multiple Senate committees. Additionally, Sullivan is the chairman of the International Republican Institute (IRI).
Peltola made history as the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. She belongs to the Yup’ik tribe and grew up fishing with her father. Influenced by Native culture, she witnessed the rise and fall of the fishing economy and the social conditions in remote areas.
In her personal website’s introduction, Peltola wrote, “I grew up in the Kuskokwim River basin, fishing for salmon with my father. Buzzy, my late husband, and I raised seven children here, spending long summers together in fishing camps. Fishing with my family is where Alaskans learn life lessons.”
“Life here is not easy. Alaskans understand this and realize the importance of taking care of each other. We know that no one from the lower 48 states will come to save us. In Alaska, when a stranger’s boat starts taking on water, we immediately pitch in to help bail it out because we know the next boat in trouble could be our own.”
“People in Washington were shocked when I prioritized returning to Alaska in July to help my family with the catch, but Alaskans understand the significance of this.”