Former Alaska state Rep. Mary Peltola (D) was projected to defeat former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to win the special election to fill the remainder of the late Rep. Don Young’s (R-Alaska) term in the House, a stunning upset that makes her the first Alaska Native in Congress.
Peltola, a Yup’ik Eskimo, will also be the first Democrat to hold the seat in decades. The last time a member of her party was was elected to represent the state’s at-large congressional district was in 1971.
Her apparent victory came after votes were tabulated late Wednesday as part of the state’s new ranked-choice voting system.
Prior to her congressional run to fill Young’s seat, Peltola represented the southwestern Bethel region as a state lawmaker for a decade. She has also served on the Bethel City Council and Orutsararmiut Native Council Tribal Court.
Peltola also ran in the primary for the same seat but whose term would begin in 2023. She advanced in the primary, as she was one of the top four vote-getters in Alaska’s open primary system.
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#BREAKING: Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Sarah Palin in Alaska special election https://t.co/Ee9RBgLwjN pic.twitter.com/yl6hCtBfVm
— The Hill (@thehill) September 1, 2022
Sky-high negatives will do that… https://t.co/zyN9I1g2yR
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 1, 2022
It is a GOOD DAY. pic.twitter.com/7IW4hsWZ2P
— Mary Peltola (@MaryPeltola) September 1, 2022
Some Democrats are proclaiming this victory as the start of the “blue wave.” Frankly, I just think Alaskans voted for Miss Peltola only because they couldn’t stand her shrill low-rent opponent, Palin. Not even Republicans wanted Palin back.
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