Power Plays: Alaska Democrats Are Trying To Find an Election Mary Peltola Can Win

Alaska's an odd place, politically. We vote reliably for Republican presidents; the last Democrat to win Alaska's three electoral votes was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. We have the Anchorage-Juneau Axis, which is heavily Democratic. That area, though, is balanced by the mostly red Matanuska-Susitna Borough, home to another major (for Alaska) portion of the state's population. The eastern part of Alaska trends Republican, while the native communities run sort of a pale blue.

In 2024, Alaska Republicans got a little better handle on how to work with the state's ill-advised ranked-choice voting scheme, which we are working on repealing again. In the Congressional election, for Alaska's one at-large House seat, the GOP only ran one candidate, Nick Begich III, and he sent Democrat Mary Peltola back to Bethel.

Now, Alaska Democrats are trying to figure out what to do with Mary Peltola. Of course, Mary may not be interested. As is so often the case, Must Read Alaska's Suzanne Downing has details.

It’s becoming clear that former Rep. Mary Peltola has no desire to take on Congressman Nick Begich in 2026. She has a handsome six-figure job now with Holland & Hart, a law firm in Anchorage, where she can come and go as she pleases.
But the Democrats still see her as their highest vote getter and are trying to find the best race to run her in.
Last month, a liberal-bent Data for Progress poll queried Alaskans to see if Peltola or Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom would be their choice for governor. Data for Progress does polls and surveys for Democrats. Peltola, the Democrat, bested Dahlstrom, the Republican, in that poll.

Just what we need - a Democrat governor. Oh, we've had them before. The incumbent, Mike Dunleavy, is a Republican, while his predecessor, Bill Walker, was an independent. Before that, it was Sean Parnell, Sarah Palin, and Frank Murkowski, Republicans, following Democrat Tony Knowles, who served from 1994 to 2002. We even had a third-party governor, Wally Hickel, from the Alaskan Independence Party.

Some are also talking up Mary for the Senate, where she could face Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in 2026. Senator Sullivan won re-election handily in 2020, gaining 53.90 percent of the vote over two independents, Al Gross and John Howe - but the Democrats had no official candidate in that race, although Al Gross only ran as an independent after winning the Democrat nomination.

Like I said, an odd place, politically.

Here's the catch: Mary Peltola is probably pretty comfortable right now. She still presumably has her home in Bethel, and she now has a lucrative gig in Anchorage with a prestigious law firm, where she does... something. She's not an attorney, never went to law school, so it's a bit of a mystery what in her background would make her worth six figures to an Anchorage law firm.

Oh, I'm just kidding. She has contacts in Washington. That's worth six figures to a law firm.

Alaska GOP Clears First Hurdle in New Attempt to Repeal Controversial Voting Scheme

Suzanne Downing concludes:

Peltola is still the Alaska Democrats’ best hope, but they haven’t yet figured out what is her highest and best use.

I would suggest that Mary Peltola's highest and best use is staying in Bethel with her kids and the rest of her family and enjoying a peaceful, happy life - out of politics. I harbor her no ill will - I'm not a Democrat, after all - but if she does run for office, I will bend every effort to see to it that she returns to Bethel when she loses another election.

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