ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Mary Peltola, a Democrat and the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, on Wednesday won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives. She will now serve a full two-year term after she prevailed in an August special election to serve out the final months of the late Rep. Don Young’s term.
Young died in March, triggering a monthslong race shaped by the question of who would succeed the 49-year Republican congressman. Peltola, a former state lawmaker from Bethel, emerged Wednesday as the state’s pick with nearly 49% of first-choice votes in the ranked-choice November election.
Following tabulation of ranked-choice votes late Wednesday, Peltola had a clear victory over Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin in a 55% to 45% split.