Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, who defeated GOP contenders Sarah Palin and Nick Begich in August to win a special election after the death of longtime Alaska Rep. Don Young, acknowledged to Newsmax on Friday she's got a tough challenge in the upcoming midterm election to determine if she'll keep the job for two more years.
"There are four of us on the ballot, and Sarah Palin is an international celebrity and has a lot of advantages with that kind of name recognition," she told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "Nick Begich is also from a political dynasty family."
Another challenger, Libertarian Chris Bye, has also joined the race.
Peltola, meanwhile, said that the major issue in Alaska is inflation, which is hitting the state hard, particularly because of the price of gas and diesel fuel when combined with the size and isolation of the state.
"We have an enormous footprint and most of our homes are fueled by diesel fuel," said Peltola. "We call it stove oil. Some outlier communities at the far extreme, they're paying $17.99 a gallon for unleaded [gas]. They're paying $12.99 a gallon for diesel fuel to heat their homes."
She added that she's working with Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both Republicans, to implore the Biden administration to help with the Willow pipeline project, as well as the oil fields in Prudhoe Bay, which is "something that is doable and could provide relief to Alaskans and Americans."
When asked if President Joe Biden is popular in Alaska, Peltola responded that there is a "mixed bag" of politics in the state, but it is "largely very nonpartisan."
"So much of our electorate are nonpartisan or undeclared," she said. "We do have a lot of Republicans. We have Democrats, but people are looking at deliverables, and I think that this is something that we're all going to have to be working on. One person in this country does not dictate the whole economy. So this is something that we're all going to be joining in a team effort to work on whether you're a Democrat or Republican."
She also said that having Murkowski on the ticket is a benefit for her campaign.
"She's a hard worker," said Peltola. "She's got gotten the nation off high center a number of times when we've been looking at federal shutdowns. I think that certainly could be a possibility in the coming months. She's very moderate. She's even-tempered. I think she does public policy very well. And I'm really proud to be on the ballot with Lisa Murkowski."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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