“It’s just really nice to share the win where I call home, with the people I grew up with,” Mary Peltola said in Bethel, where she experienced a warm homecoming before heading to Washington, D.C. She'll be sworn in as Alaska's U.S. representative Tuesday.
in a special election that was called after Young died in March, following 49 years in office. Peltola’s mother campaigned for Young when she was pregnant; Peltola was born six months after Young was elected. Peltola’s father worked with Young as a teacher in Fort Yukon and later as a pilot flying him around the state.
“We hugged, and she was crying, and then she stepped back and said, ‘I’m a Republican, I shouldn’t be doing this!’” Peltola said. Nonetheless, Rose Dunleavy accepted the invitation.The day after she arrived in Bethel, a room full of community elders, family members and friends gathered to mark Peltola’s victory. When she entered the Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center, cheers erupted. Peltola spent several minutes moving from table to table.
“It makes Washington, D.C., feel that much closer, and it makes it feel like our voices can be heard, because representation matters,” he said.Mary Peltola, right, visits with Carrie Nelson. Peltola’s mother is from Kwethluk and her father is from Nebraska. He came to Alaska to teach, as did former Rep. Young. In a community where Yup’ik is the first language for many, Peltola has said her command of both languages has been an asset; she switched comfortably between Yup’ik and English in her conversations with Ayapan and others throughout the evening.
“It was really special to share that moment with other people, as remote as we were, and feel the exhilaration that Mary has brought to the state, and not only to the state but to Native Americans across the country,” Hoffman said. Peltola hasn’t yet announced an official staff or any specific agenda for her few weeks in Washington, D.C., before returning to Alaska to campaign. But Barr didn’t forget he was now speaking to a person on the verge of being sworn in to the U.S. House.
“I just thought — what am I going to do in this huge house with no kids?” she said. Windows overlook the town; the walls are covered with family photos and Alaska Native art, the plants cared for lately by house sitters. Mary Peltola shows some of the artwork displayed in her Bethel home, including several Yup'ik dolls.
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