Mary Peltola, Alaska

Mary Peltola is a Yup’ik Alaskan who served as the U.S. Representative for Alaska’s at-large congressional district from 2022 to 2025, the first Alaska Native to hold the seat. Raised in Bethel, she worked as a commercial fisherman and served a decade in the Alaska State Legislature before winning a 2022 special election to succeed the late Don Young. She focused on salmon habitat protection, rural infrastructure, and Alaska Native issues during her time in Congress, and is now running for the U.S. Senate in 2026.