After Democrat Mary Peltola on Wednesday afternoon heard the results of Alaska’s special U.S. House election, indicating that she would be the state’s next U.S. representative, she embraced campaign staff and kissed her husband as others cheered.
After the Aug. 16 ranked choice election results are certified, Peltola will head to the nation’s capital as the first Alaska Native elected to Congress and the first woman to hold the state’s lone U.S. House seat.
“What’s most important is that I’m an Alaskan being sent to represent all Alaskans. Yes, being Alaska Native is part of my ethnicity, but I’m much more than my ethnicity,” she said.
When asked what her first priorities would be once she arrives in Washington, D.C., Peltola said: “To work for Alaskans, to build partnerships, to build coalitions that we need going forward. Alaska is facing some serious challenges in terms of inflation, in terms of very, very high energy prices. And this is a national, these are national challenges.
“I’m looking forward to meeting more colleagues and just really buckling down and getting to work.”
Hear more of what Peltola had to say in the video above.
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