Alaska Rep.-Elect Mary Peltola Says Staying Out of 'Partisan Pettiness' Helped Her Defeat Sarah Palin

Ash Adams for The Washington Post via Getty Mary Peltola

Fresh off of defeating former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin in a special election to serve a short term in the U.S. House, Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola chalks her victory up to staying out of the muck of partisan politics.

In an interview with PBS, Peltola says she believes voters "had an appetite for candidates who really wanted to stick to the issues and not get involved in partisan pettiness." That — and the state's introduction of ranked-choice voting, which allowed Alaskans to rank candidates, regardless of party affiliation — helped propel her forward, she said.

"Well, I think Alaskans just tend to vote for the person, and not necessarily the party affiliation," Peltola said. "I think that folks who are interested in public policy, in making sure our economy stays on track and we're doing things to try to manage our inflation and logistic supply chain issues and things like that did find me appealing."

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Peltola's victory saw her defeat Palin as the two bid to serve out the remainder of Republican Rep. Don Young's term in the U.S. House, which ends in January. Young died in March at age 88.

The special election on Aug. 16 marked the first time Alaska voters used ranked-choice ballots in a general election. With her victory, Peltola — a former state representative — made history in a number of ways, becoming the first Democrat to hold the seat in 50 years and the first woman and first Indigenous Alaskan elected to ever serve in the role.

"Alaska Natives have been here for a very long time. And we have not necessarily been reflected in the democratic process or among policymakers at the table with really a position at the table," she told PBS.

Peltola noted the significance of her victory, but added that she wanted "to make it clear that I intend to represent all Alaskans, regardless of their ethnic background."

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The results from the State Review Board were announced live via Facebook Wednesday night, revealing that Peltola brought in 91,206 votes, while Palin's count was 85,987.

While the special election has finally come to a close, Peltola and Palin remain on the campaign trail. That's because Alaska voters still need to decide who will fill Rep. Young's seat for the upcoming term that begins in 2023.

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Peltola said she will be "multitasking" while serving in Young's seat and campaign for the next two-year term — but that she's up for the challenge.

"I will be doing my very best to make sure that our constituent relations team is doing everything they can to make sure that Alaskans have their constituent needs met," she said, later adding: "But I am very focused on November, because that really is what we're all most interested in, is that two-year seat."