WASHINGTON — Mary Peltola was sworn into the U.S. House on Tuesday, becoming the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress and the first woman to hold Alaska’s only seat in the House of Representatives. Peltola, a Democrat, won a special election in August to serve out the remainder of Republican Rep. Don Young’s term. Young died in March after holding the seat for nearly five decades. On Tuesday afternoon, he lined up with two other special election winners from New York. They raised their right hand and took the oath of office from Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In her first speech on the floor of the House, Peltola said she was humbled to be the first Alaska Native elected to Congress, “but to be clear, I’m here to represent all Alaskans.” “It is the honor of my life to represent Alaska, a place my elders and ancestors have called home for thousands of years,” said Peltola, who is Yup’ik. [Photos from the day Mary Peltola became Alaska’s U.S. representative] A post-inauguration reception hosted by the Alaska Federation of Natives near the Capitol drew hundreds from Alaska and Washington, D.C., including an emotional Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Alaska Native leaders from across the state . In their words of congratulations for Peltola, they emphasized the historic nature of the day as Peltola became the first Alaska Native in Congress — and almost certainly the first to speak Yup’ik on the floor of the House — and also determined to continue the Republican’s legacy her predecessor and make friends on both sides of the political aisle. Introducing her on the House floor after she was sworn in, House Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland called Young a “giant” and said Peltola was “cut from the same cloth.” “The people of Alaska have lost a representative who served them with great ability, energy, courage and commitment for half a century,” Hoyer said, adding that Peltola, like Young, is “someone who fundamentally believes in pragmatism, independence and the placement of Alaska. primarily unique needs”. Immediately after being sworn in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Mary Peltola stands with family members and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi for a swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC on September 13, 2022. ( Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) Peltola laid out her priorities for Congress: lowering the cost of living, investing in child care, growing the economy, ensuring Alaska remains a “world leader” in resource development, and protecting Alaska’s fisheries. Before speaking on the floor of the House, she hugged Democrat Charis Davis of Kansas, one of the first Native American women elected to the US House. After she finished her speech, she immediately hugged Murkowski, a Republican, who stood behind her along with Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and several other members of the U.S. House. Her inauguration was followed by a ceremony presided over by Pelosi in California. At the swearing-in ceremony, her husband Gene “Buzzy” Peltola Jr. holding the Bible as Peltola was flanked by her seven children, two grandchildren and two sisters. Peltola’s youngest daughter, Nora, later said she was proud of her mother as she watched her make history. She also loved the excuse to meet up with all her siblings, who flew in from across the country, for the first time since 2019. None of them had been to Washington, DC before. Peltola wore a walrus tusk ivory necklace given to her by her husband and ivory earrings from her mother. Peltola, her daughters, sisters and granddaughters wore mukluks made in Bethel, where she is from. Immediately following the ceremony, Peltola cast her first votes on three non-controversial bills. Peltola voted in favor of all three, which passed with bipartisan support. Peltola will serve only the remaining four months of Young’s term. He is also running in the November election that determines who will hold the House for the full two-year term that begins in January. He faces two Republicans, former Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich, and Libertarian Chris Bye. Peltola arrived in Washington, D.C., on Sunday after a trip to Bethel, her hometown. On Monday, she received her official congressional pin and the keys to Young’s old office — one of the largest in the House — where she will reside for the next four months. She also named five members of her staff, including Alex Ortiz, Young’s former chief of staff. A former state legislator who represented the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in the state House for a decade that ended in 2009, Peltola previously chaired the state’s Bush Caucus, which brings together lawmakers representing off-road communities. Most recently she was director of the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission working on subsistence fisheries and food security issues in the area. She has made the fish policy and her support for abortion access hallmarks of her congressional campaign, which she launched in April, two weeks after her predecessor’s death. Representative Mary Peltola speaks on the floor of the House after being sworn in Tuesday, September 13, 2022 in Washington, DC (Office of the President) Peltola asked to sit on the House Natural Resources and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees — the two committees Young chaired. The committee’s official terms of reference have not been announced by her office.
“In her own mukluk”
Representative Mary Peltola, left, wears traditional footwear during the ceremony. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) At the reception following the swearing-in ceremony, Interior Minister Haaland, on the verge of tears, spoke for several minutes to the crowd of hundreds, many of whom had flown in from Alaska. “I know firsthand what representation means. What it means to the people, what it means to the person he represents, what it means to our country, honestly. Because no one knows a native community like someone who is from that community,” he said. Representative Mary Peltola, left, is cheered and hugged as she makes her way through a crowd at a multi-Alaskan reception hosted by the Alaska Federation of Natives in Washington, DC on Tuesday. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) Haaland praised Peltola’s “pro-fish” campaign message, which has caught the attention of some D.C. politicians who care about the importance of fish to Alaskans. “I think this is a House speech for the ages because everyone in this room probably understands that it’s not just fish. It’s survival, it’s history, it’s culture, it’s tradition, it’s family, it’s everything Alaska Natives represent. And I just want you to know how truly happy I am for each and every one of you,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion, drawing applause. “Like many Native people, when I was younger, it never occurred to me that Native women could grace the halls of Congress,” Haaland said. “Breaking glass ceilings… is not for the faint of heart.” “Every indigenous woman in this country wants Congressman Peltola to succeed. And he can absolutely count on me for that as well,” Haaland said. Haaland thanked Murkowski for “being front and center” when Peltola was sworn in. Murkowski, who is running for re-election this year to the US Senate, has been criticized by hard-line Alaska Republicans for her support of Haaland. US Department of the Interior Deb Haaland hugs Rep. Mary Peltola at the AFN reception. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) Murkowski called it “a happy day for our country.” Her enthusiasm for Peltola’s inauguration crossed the party line that divides them. Sullivan, the other Republican who represents Alaska in the US Senate, did not appear at the reception. “I can’t tell you how proud I am as an Alaskan woman to stand with Mary as she delivered her first speech, her maiden speech on the floor of the US House of Representatives as a congresswoman for all of Alaska,” said Murkowski, referring to Young’s campaign slogan: congressman for all of Alaska. “We are so privileged that someone from the beginning that Mary had, saw that there was a way for her to give back to the people and the place she loves, in a way with honesty and integrity,” Murkowski said. he said. “Shoe Congresswomen — isn’t that nice to say? — may not use as colorful words and vocabulary as our dear former Congressman Don Young. But she is every inch a fierce fighter and will be there for her people and the state she loves.” Pelosi appeared at the reception, saying the inauguration “was so glorious because when she was recognized and sworn in, the first person who ran up to her was one of the first Native American women to serve in Congress.” That was Rep. Davids, who was also at the reception, briefly serving as an unofficial photographer for Peltola, snapping pictures of her as hundreds of attendees gathered to exchange a few words and commemorate the evening in a photo. Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland embrace at the party honoring Representative Mary Peltola hosted by the Alaska Federation of Natives. (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News) Davids and Haaland were the first Native American women in Congress. “When Deb and I were elected, I remember a couple of things we talked about: one of them was that we’re the first two Native American women in Congress, but we certainly won’t be the last,” Davids said. . When Peltola entered the reception room at 8:45…
