JUNEAU, Alaska — Mary Peltola, Representative from the US state of Alaska catapulted to the office in 2022 with a campaign that emphasized civility in politics. She became the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and the first Democrat in 50 years to hold the state’s only seat in the House of Representatives.
But during her re-election campaign, she faces a number of pitfalls that come with an in-between position in today’s polarized political landscape.
Weeks before Tuesday’s primary, she faced backlash on social media after telling reporters she was keeping an “open mind” about the presidential race and refusing to endorse presumptive Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, forcing her to clarify that she would not, in fact, be voting for former President Donald Trump.
She made some supporters even angrier when she voted with the Republicans on a resolution condemning Vice President Harris’ role in the Biden administration’s management of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“As far as the president goes, my opinion doesn’t matter at all,” Peltola told The Associated Press. “We’re not a swing state; we’re a long, long way from being a swing state. So when people are demanding a certain response, that’s a waste of energy.” She said she wouldn’t support anyone.
The primaries — in which Peltola faces 11 challengers, including Republicans Nick Begich and Nancy Dahlstrom, the lieutenant governor who has been endorsed by Trump — will set the stage for what is expected to be a hotly contested race in November that could help decide control of the U.S. House of Representatives. Under Alaska’s open primary system, the top four candidates advance to the ranked-choice general election.
Only the frontrunners — Peltola, Dahlstrom and Begich — have reported raising money.
So far, the pace of this year’s race has been a stark contrast to the madcap battle unleashed two years ago by the death of Republican US Congressman Don Youngwho had held Alaska’s House of Representatives seat for 49 years. Nearly 50 candidates, including the Republican Party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, ran in a special primary to replace him.
Peltola, who is Yup’ik and a former state legislator from a rural community, won the special general election to serve the remainder of Young’s term and later won a full termportraying himself as a consensus builder and campaigning on a platform of “fish, family and freedom.”
That year also marked the debut of Alaska’s voter-approved open primary and ranked choice general election system. Supporters and critics of the system cite Peltola’s success as a reason they think it works or that it should be deleted.
Supporters of ranked voting say it gives voters more choice and rewards candidates who appeal to a broader segment of the electorate. Opponents say it is confusing and encourages voters to rank candidates they don’t support.
Begich, a businessman who finished behind Peltola and Palin in 2022, is running for reelection with the support of several local Republican groups, while Dahlstrom has the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson and other top Republicans in the House.
In backing Dahlstrom, Trump blamed Begich for the Republicans’ defeat in 2022, a year in which Begich sharply attacked Palin and Trump and Palin criticized ranked-choice voting — with Trump calling it a “rigged deal.”
Begich comes from a family of prominent Democrats, including his late grandfather, who held the House seat before Young. He has said he will withdraw if he finishes behind Dahlstrom on Tuesday, and has pitched his pledge as a way to boost Republican interest in the primary. He also said that having more than one Republican in the race in November could undermine GOP efforts to win back the seat.
Dahlstrom has not made the same commitment, but said that once the results are in, she plans to talk to Begich, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and the head of the state’s Republican Party to analyze “who got what and what it would take to get a conservative into that seat in terms of votes.”
The majority of registered voters in Alaska are not affiliated with a party, a fact Peltola cites in his explanation why she doesn’t make recommendations.
“I just think it’s important for people to make up their own minds,” she said. The last time Alaska ran for a Democratic presidential candidate was in 1964.
At a recent Peltola campaign event in Juneau, Democratic voter Kiernan Riley, a member of the LGBTQ community, waited while Peltola made the rounds so they could ask questions about Trump. Riley said they found Trump’s views offensive.
Riley said they didn’t need Peltola to support Harris, but they wanted to know her stance on Trump before deciding whether to hang a large Peltola campaign sign on their fence.
Riley said they felt better when they spoke to Peltola directly.
“I understand the complexities of life as a Democrat in a Republican state,” Riley said.