Alaska representative to miss US House sessions to prepare fish for winter
In what was described as “the most Alaskan thing … ever”, the Alaska congresswoman Mary Peltola announced on Monday that she would miss the week’s US House sessions to help her family prepare fish to store away for the winter.
Peltola’s absence comes at a time when all Democrats are faced with scrutiny over whether or not they support Joe Biden’s re-election campaign after the president’s shaky 27 June debate performance against the presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, left their party in a panic.
But a statement from Peltola’s office said the Democratic representative simply spends some time each summer “putting up fish with family to fill freezers” for the cold months.
“Mary’s family – as well as Mary’s late husband’s family – relies in part on her for subsistence duties,” the statement from the congresswoman’s office added. “Representative Peltola will submit publicly available statements to the Congressional Record reflecting how she would have voted if present.”
Related: The Democrats who have called on Joe Biden to step down
Peltola on Monday also published photos of her fishing on X.
“There’s nothing quite like being out on the water,” Peltola wrote. She also highlighted how the state’s fisheries are “integral … for all Alaskans.
“Together, we will preserve our fisheries, not just for the communities that rely on them today but for future generations to experience and make memories through.”
One X user replied: “This is the most Alaskan thing I’ve ever read.” Others applauded the lawmaker for prioritizing her family, including one who wrote: “Good for you! Many people think you just go to the grocery store to get your food.”
Congress returned to Washington DC on Monday from its 4 July holiday recess. One prominent Democrat who has called on Biden to end his campaign is House armed services committee member Adam Smith. A key Democrat expressing support for the president’s re-election run is the chairperson of the House Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila Jayapal.
Peltola told Alaska’s Fairbanks Daily News-Miner her opinion about Biden’s fitness to remain in the presidential race was “irrelevant”. After all, she said, polls showed Trump was well ahead in Alaska against his White House successor.
“I don’t think there is any benefits to Alaskans weighing in on this issue,” Peltola said to the Daily News-Miner. “Alaska is not in play in the presidential race.”
Peltola, who is Yup’ik, became the first Alaska Native in Congress after scoring an unexpected victory in a special election for the staunchly conservative state’s lone US House seat following the death of Republican Don Young in 2022.
The first woman to represent Alaska in the US House since it became a state in 1959 then retained her seat for a full two-year term after defeating a field of challengers in the November 2022 midterms which included former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
Peltola’s husband, Eugene Peltola Jr, was killed in September when the plane he was flying crashed while returning from a remote hunting camp carrying moose meat.
• The subheading of this article was amended on 9 July 2024 to correct the spelling of Mary Peltola’s name.
