by Greg Lincoln
Bethel’s Mary Peltola made history during the August 16th, 2022 special election for the U.S. House of Representatives by becoming the first Alaska Native to be elected for a seat in Congress. Mary is Yup’ik Eskimo with roots in Kwethluk. She is also the first woman from Alaska to be the Representative. Congratulations Mary and belated happy birthday!
The YK Delta and rural Alaska is bursting with pride and social media has been flooded with congratulations, well-wishes, and love for Alaska’s first Native congresswoman.
In Alaska’s first ranked choice election, voters chose Mary Peltola (D) over Sarah Palin and Nick Begich, both republicans. In the final round 2 of the Ranked Choice Voting system, the tally was Peltola 91,266 (51.48%) and Sarah Palin 86,026 (48.52%).
Mary knows our people, she knows the language we speak, the foods we love to eat, our seasons and how we live in each, and how much we are connected to our beloved homeland and people. She also understands the value of the salmon that is our subsistence food and how important it is to our lifestyle and well-being.
On the ballot for the November 8th, 2022 General Election will be: Mary Peltola (Registered Democrat) of Bethel, Sarah Palin (Registered Republican) of Wasilla, Nick Begich (Registered Republican) of Anchorage, and Chris Bye (Registered Liberterian) of Fairbanks.
Tara Sweeney withdrew her name from the ticket in August. The last day for withdrawals was Labor Day, Monday September 5th, 2022. No one has withdrawn their names. The target date for certification of the General Election is November 29th.
Swearing-in for Mary will happen on September 13th. Congratulations again, we are proud that you exemplified the Yup’ik values of kindness and respect for all during your campaign.
