Mary Peltola: First Alaskan Native elected to Congress as Sarah Palin loses

In an Alaskan district that had been held by Republicans for almost 50 years, Sarah Palin lost a special election for congress.

Mary Peltola, a Democrat, won the election and became the first Alaskan Native to represent the state in Congress.

The contest was held to fill a vacancy left by the passing of the previous officeholder. In November, there will be another election for the seat.

Ms. Palin, a former governor of Alaska, became well known in 2008 as a vice presidential contender.

Mrs. Peltola, 49, won the election by three percentage points on Wednesday in a state that former President Donald Trump won by ten points in 2020.

The former state representative promoted access to abortion, environmental protection, and salmon populations in the state.

According to Politico, Ms. Palin, who had Mr. Trump’s support, outspent her Democratic opponent four to one in the months leading up to the election on August 16.

The Yup’ik Democrat, who grew up in a rural area of Alaska, will hold the seat for the first time as well.

Senator John McCain of Arizona chose Ms. Palin to be his running mate for vice president in 2008. Senator McCain later criticised Donald Trump loudly on behalf of the Republican Party.

Political observers will examine this special election for hints about how the two major parties might perform in the US midterm elections in November, although it is unclear to what extent Ms. Palin’s strong personality played a role in the result.

Many others saw her as Mr. Trump’s political forerunner because of her brand of feisty conservatism and anti-establishment appeal.

However, several voters questioned her dedication to the state, pointing to the fact that she left her position as governor barely halfway through her mandate.

She then became a reality TV star and sued the New York Times for libel, but she was unsuccessful in her case earlier this year.

When Ms. Palin left Juneau to campaign for McCain, she let Ms. Peltola use her backyard trampoline.

Alaska Public Media claims that Ms. Palin, who is often a harsh opponent of Democrats, recently referred to her adversary as a “sweetheart.”