Democrat Mary Peltola Will Be the First Alaska Native to Serve in Congress

Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) will be the first Alaska Native to represent the state in Congress. Peltola, a Democrat, beat Sarah Palin, a former small-town mayor, in a special election to fill Alaska’s open House seat, state election officials announced Wednesday.

Peltola’s victory is set to more-than-double the land mass represented by Democrats in Congress. Native Alaskans are on the frontline of climate change and the damage done by the fossil fuel energy in the state both in terms of lost hunting grounds and by increasing wildfire threats.

For a deeper dive:

Indian Country Today, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Public Media, The 19th* News, Axios, NPR, ABC, Washington Post, Politico, CNN, New York Times, BBC, AP

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