Mary Peltola

In doing so, she became the first Alaska Native member of Congress and the only Russian Orthodox, as well as the first woman ever to represent Alaska in the House, the first person to have been born in Alaska to serve in the House, and first Democrat since Nick Begich Sr. in 1972.

She was reelected to a full term in the regularly scheduled election in November 2022.

As of 2023, Peltola is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Alaska.

Peltola is Yup'ik from Western Alaska.

Mary Sattler Peltola (born August 31, 1973) is an American politician and former tribal judge serving as the U.S. representative from AK'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.

A member of the Democratic Party, Peltola defeated former Governor Sarah Palin and Alaska Policy Forum board member Nick Begich in an upset in the August 2022 special election to succeed Don Young, who died in March that year.

She was born in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 31, 1973.

Her Yup'ik name is Akalleq.

Peltola's father, Ward Sattler, a German-American from Nebraska, moved to Alaska to work as a pilot and teacher.

Her mother, Elizabeth "LizAnn" Piicigaq Williams, is Yup'ik from Kwethluk.

Peltola was raised in the communities of Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, Platinum, and Bethel.

As a child, she traveled with her father around Alaska as he campaigned for Congressman Don Young.

As a college student, she worked as a herring and salmon technician for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

Peltola studied elementary education at the University of Northern Colorado (1991 to 1993) and later took courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (1994 to 1995), University of Alaska Southeast (1995 to 1997), and University of Alaska Anchorage (1997 to 1998).

In 1995, Peltola won the Miss National Congress of American Indians pageant.

In the competition, she performed two Yup'ik dances and wore traditional clothing including a squirrel skin parka, wolf hair headdress, and mukluks.

In 1996, Peltola was an Alaska Legislature intern.

Later that year, she ran for a Bethel region seat, losing to incumbent Ivan Ivan by 56 votes.

Peltola worked as the campaign manager for Ivan's challenger, Independent candidate Willie Kasayulie, in the general election.

Peltola later worked as a reporter.

In 1998, Peltola was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, after a successful rematch against Ivan in the Democratic primary.

She appeared on the ballot under her maiden name, though she was married to Jonathan Kapsner at the time.

She was elected and reelected mostly without or with only minimal opposition, with Ivan's return to challenge her in the 2002 primary the closest contest she faced.

In the House, Peltola served on various standing committees, including Finance, Resources and Health and Social Services.

She helped to rebuild the Bush Caucus, a bipartisan group of representatives and senators who represent rural and off-road communities in Alaska.

In 2004, Peltola criticized No Child Left Behind Act rules which would impede the continuation of the practice of administering tests in some western Alaskan schools in the native Yupik language.

Peltola authored a law which allowed teachers to be given exemption from jury duty if they work at schools which had failed to meet adequate annual progress.

This was signed into law by governor Frank Murkowski in July 2004.

Peltola worked as manager of community development and sustainability for the Donlin Creek Mine from 2008 to 2014.

In 2010, after incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski lost her party's primary, Peltola helped run her successful write-in campaign.

Peltola was elected to the Bethel City Council in 2011, and served until her term ended in 2013.

She was a lobbyist in Alaska from 2015 to 2017.

After 2016, Peltola served as executive director of the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission.

From 2020 to 2021, she served as a judge on the Orutsararmiut Native Council's tribal court.

Peltola was one of the three candidates to progress to the general election of the 50 who ran in 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election primary to succeed Don Young, and thereby become the fifth representative from Alaska in the U.S. House since statehood.

She advanced to the runoff in fourth place, the only Democrat to do so.

Al Gross, an independent in third place in the primary, dropped out of the ranked choice runoff, leaving two Republicans remaining, former governor Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III.

Gross endorsed Peltola after dropping out of the race.

Three Alaska voters filed a losing suit to challenge the decision not to allow Republican Tara Sweeney, the fifth placer in the primary, to advance to the runoff.