NEWS: @lisamurkowski says she is going to pick @MaryPeltola as her first choice on her ballot.
“Yeah I am,” she says when asked by @ZachHughesNews pic.twitter.com/38iv421W0Z
— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 22, 2022
From the local Juneau Empire (I owe someone a hat tip for this), “Peltola unites crowd at AFN convention”:
The “Celebrating Our Unity” theme of this year’s Alaska Federation of Natives convention was emphasized by U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in her keynote address Thursday, but perhaps the biggest symbol during the convention’s opening day came when the recently inaugurated Democrat was given the beaded Alaska flag bolo tie of her predecessor, Republican Don Young, by his elder daughter Joni Nelson.
“Now I’m a real congressman for all Alaska,” Peltola said upon receiving the tie, invoking the slogan Young used during his nearly 50 years in office.
Peltola, sworn into office less than 40 days ago to fill the remainder of Young’s term after his death and facing a reelection campaign in less than three weeks as she seeks a full term, is the first Alaska Native elected to Congress. She received a hero’s welcome from convention attendees who gave her a long standing ovation before she began her speech…
Peltola, in her speech, applied the theme to situations ranging from families to global conflict. Early on she called to the stage members of Young’s family, who are supporting her reelection campaign, as she talked about his lengthy career of accomplishments beginning as a freshman when he was vital to establishing the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System which “built the foundation of Alaska’s economy as we know it.”
An exchange of hugs and the bolo tie followed. The younger of Young’s two daughters, Dawn Vallely, told the audience her father would have been happy with Peltola’s win in the special election.
Such personal and political unity among people from different political parties is something many Alaskans are long familiar with when confronting shared challenges ranging from extreme storms to food shortages, Peltola said. She said taking such an approach to her campaign and congressional duties, including hiring a large number of Young’s former staff, seems to be why the election is attracting global attention…
Sunday Evening Open Thread: Good for Mary PeltolaPost + Comments (27)