Alaska Dem Senate hopeful Mary Peltola racked up hundreds of missed votes while holding taxpayer-funded jobs

Key Points:

• Former Alaska state Rep. Mary Peltola, Democratic nominee for Senate, missed nearly 19% of state House votes and over 36% of Bethel City Council meetings during her time in office, raising questions about her commitment to public service.
• Peltola's highest absence rate was during the 2003-2004 legislative session, missing 334 of 1,019 votes, and she has also missed 17.2% of roll-call votes in Congress from 2022-2024.
• Critics highlight that Peltola has not had any primary-sponsored bills become law in Congress, contrasting with her opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, who has successfully passed several bills.
• Peltola's campaign attributes absences to maternity leave and fishing season commitments, emphasizing her continued legislative work and bipartisan efforts, while also accusing Sullivan of missing important hearings.
• The Alaska Senate race is closely watched, with Peltola and Sullivan among four candidates advancing to the general election under Alaska's nonpartisan top-four primary and ranked-choice voting system.