Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola lost her reelection campaign Wednesday, a little more than two years after she unexpectedly flipped the Republican-held seat.
Peltola lost to Republican challenger Nick Begich III, a business owner and grandson of former Sen. Nick Begich (D). The winner ended up with 51 percent of the vote after more ballots were counted and the state applied its rank choice voting process.
Peltola got to Congress following a 2022 special election following Republican Rep. Don Young’s death. She flipped the seat from Republican control on a centrist message that included promoting fisheries, natural resources and abortion rights, among other priorities; she made “Fish, Family, Freedom” a campaign motto.
She continued to push fishery priorities through a seat on the Natural Resources Committee. But some of her conservative or centrist positions on natural resources ruffled feathers within the Democratic Party.
One of Peltola’s priorities was to get the Biden administration to permit the Willow Project, a major oil and gas endeavor in Alaska.
“It was frustrating to hear [the Willow] project referred to as a carbon bomb,” she told POLITICO’s E&E News last year.
“When, actually, the carbon bomb has been on the demand side,” she continued. “The folks who were saying that about this project came from districts where every single day the mere existence of their district is a carbon bomb.”
She made Willow and other actions on natural resources a central part of her reelection campaign.
“Because of the role that I’ve played within the delegation … we saw Willow get approved for a second time,” Peltola said in a debate. “We saw a president go back on his campaign promise, ignore his senior-most advisers … because I was able to make compelling and convincing and winning arguments for the development of this project.”
She voted with Republicans on matters like EPA regulations, mining development and environmentally focused investing.
In one case, Peltola co-sponsored legislation to open up drilling rights in the Arctic but went on to oppose and vote against it, saying it would nullify conservation protections.
Begich appears poised to mainly stick with Republicans on issues around energy and natural resources. At the debates with Peltola, he avoided answering a question on climate change, instead calling for easing regulations on insurers and said he would be better at representing Alaska’s interests, like supporting the Donlin gold mine, which Peltola initially opposed but now supports.
A former state lawmaker, Peltola was buoyed in both the 2022 special and general elections by ranked choice voting, which was new to Alaska. In both races, Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) split the Republican vote, and enough voters ranked Peltola second that she was victorious, a result that angered GOP leaders.
In the 2024 race, the other Republican to advance from the primary, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, dropped out, uniting the GOP behind Begich.