1. Mary Sattler Peltola was born on August 31,1973 and is an American politician and former tribal judge who served as the US representative from from 2022 to 2025.
39 Facts About Mary Peltola
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In winning that election, Mary Peltola became the first Alaska Native member of Congress, the first woman to represent Alaska in the House of Representatives, the first person born in Alaska elected to the House, and the first Democrat to serve as Alaska's representative in the House since Nick Begich Sr.
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Mary Peltola was reelected to a full term in the state's regularly scheduled election in November 2022.
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Mary Peltola was defeated in her 2024 re-election bid by Republican Nick Begich III.
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Mary Peltola was born in Anchorage on August 31,1973.
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Mary Peltola was raised in the communities of Kwethluk, Tuntutuliak, Platinum, and Bethel.
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Mary Peltola studied elementary education at the University of Northern Colorado from 1991 to 1993 and later took courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, University of Alaska Southeast, and University of Alaska Anchorage from 1994 to 1998.
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In 1995, Mary Peltola won the Miss National Congress of American Indians pageant.
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In 1996, Mary Peltola was an intern in the Alaska Legislature.
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Mary Peltola worked as the campaign manager for Ivan's challenger, Independent candidate Willie Kasayulie, in the general election.
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In 1998, Peltola was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, after a successful rematch against Ivan in the Democratic primary.
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Mary Peltola appeared on the ballot under her maiden name, though she was married to Jonathan Kapsner at the time.
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Mary Peltola was elected and reelected mostly without or with only minimal opposition.
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Mary Peltola helped to rebuild the Bush Caucus, a bipartisan group of representatives and senators who represent rural and off-road communities in Alaska.
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In 2004, Mary Peltola criticized No Child Left Behind Act rules that would impede continuing the practice of administering tests in some western Alaskan schools in the native Yupik language.
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Mary Peltola authored a law which allowed teachers to be given exemption from jury duty if they work at schools that had failed to meet adequate annual progress.
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Mary Peltola worked as manager of community development and sustainability for the Donlin Creek Mine from 2008 to 2014.
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In 2010, after incumbent Republican US Senator Lisa Murkowski lost her party's primary, Peltola helped run her successful write-in campaign.
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Mary Peltola was elected to the Bethel City Council in 2011, and served until her term ended in 2013.
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Mary Peltola was a lobbyist in Alaska from 2015 to 2017.
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One withdrew and Mary Peltola was one of three candidates to proceed to ranked voting.
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Mary Peltola sought a full term in the 2022 general election.
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Ahead of the November 2022 election, Mary Peltola announced endorsements from Don Young's daughters, Joni Nelson and Dawn Vallely, in addition to Don Young's former communications director Zack Brown and several bipartisan political figures.
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Mary Peltola was sworn in as Alaska's US representative on September 13,2022.
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Mary Peltola is the fourth Native woman elected to Congress, after Davids, Herrell, and Deb Haaland.
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On September 29,2022, Mary Peltola passed her first bill through the House.
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Mary Peltola said she could not support a contract that did not include paid sick days.
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In February 2023, Mary Peltola announced that she had chosen Josh Revak, a former Republican state senator who was a competitor in the 2022 special election, to run her Alaska office.
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Mary Peltola's office ranked second-highest in staff turnover for the US House of Representatives, with a turnover nearly four times the House average.
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Mary Peltola urged the White House and the Interior Department to approve the project, which they did.
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Mary Peltola believes that the act's focus on "optimum yield" has privileged economic considerations over environmental ones, and supports amending the act to prioritize the environment.
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On January 31,2023, Mary Peltola voted against the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill to lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.
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On February 1,2023, Mary Peltola voted against a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.
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On February 9,2023, Mary Peltola voted against a resolution condemning the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, the District of Columbia's plan to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections.
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On December 8,2022, Mary Peltola voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which repealed the Defense of Marriage Act and mandated federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages.
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Mary Peltola is the first US Representative from Alaska to be born in the state.
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Mary Peltola is an Alaska Native and a member of the Orutsararmiut Native Council.
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Mary Peltola is Orthodox Christian and belongs to the Orthodox Church in America.
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Mary Peltola died in 2023 after the plane he was flying crashed.