Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola stops in Juneau during reelection campaign launch

Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola was in Juneau this weekend for a meet-and-greet with voters. It was the last stop on a six-day tour to kick off her reelection campaign. 

Juneau Democratic Sen. Jesse Kiehl introduced Peltola to a crowded top floor of the Crystal Saloon. 

“She has stood up for the environment and the economy,” he said. “She is pro-jobs, pro-family, pro-freedom and pro-fish.”

“Fish, family, freedom” has been Peltola’s campaign slogan since 2022, when she won a special election to fill the remainder of Congressman Don Young’s term. That November, she was reelected for a full term.

Peltola said she and the rest of the Alaska delegation – Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan – have accomplished a lot in the last year. She pointed to an executive order barring Russia from selling seafood to U.S. markets after processing it through other countries.

“That impacts fishermen throughout Southeast Alaska and throughout Alaska,” she told attendees. “After 10 years of the delegation pushing that executive order, we got it through a few weeks ago.”

Juneau resident Karen Smith, a former troller and longline fisher, said fish is a top priority for her.

“I’m glad she’s out protecting one of our mainstays here,” Smith said. “If you’ve eaten any other fish anywhere else, it’s not as good as ours.”

Peltola is a Democrat, but she’s more in line with the Republican Party on issues like Arctic drilling and even gun control. In an interview, she said one of her biggest accomplishments has been advancing the Willow oil project.

“I am proud of the fact that I helped bring it across the finish line,” she said. “I was the one who worked with the leadership in my caucus to really insist that Joe Biden meet with us.”

For Juneau resident Kevin Maier, Peltola’s bipartisanship is a selling point. He said voting across party lines isn’t as surprising in Alaska as it might be in the Lower 48.

“She is actually trying to solve problems, not just trying to yell at people, and that requires reaching across the aisle,” he said. “It’s cool that she can have positions that are different than mine but I can still be all in for her.”

University of Alaska Southeast sophomore Alyson Kenney is studying environmental resources. This will be the first election she can vote in, and she said she was excited about Peltola’s advocacy for fish conservation. But she was surprised to learn about Peltola’s support of the Willow project in her opening remarks.

“I didn’t know she did until she just was speaking positively about it. That’s definitely something that’s a little iffy,” Kenney said. “I’ll have to do more research on that.”

Peltola’s challengers include Republican Nick Begich. He finished third in both 2022 races behind Peltola and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. 

Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, another Republican, is also running for the U.S. House seat. Her campaign is backed by a fundraising committee affiliated with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson.