Washington Post On Alaska House Candidate’s ‘Pro-Fish’ Campaign

As Republicans look to take control of both the House and Senate in the pending November midterm elections, one House race that has gotten a lot of buzz is Alaska’s lone seat in the House of Representatives that became vacant after longtime Rep. Don Young’s death last year.

Democrat Mary Peltola won a special ranked-choice election in September to fill out the remainder of Young’s term and could score the permanent seat from former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) and others on the Nov. 8 ballots start to get counted. Washington Post reporter Maxine Joselow wrote about Peltola’s “pro-fish” campaign, which can’t hurt Peltola’s chances in what could be a hotly contested race for the seat. Here’s more from the Post:

The week she was sworn in, Peltola threw her support behind legislationfrom Huffman that would reauthorize the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the law that governs fishing in federal waters, and would require consideration of climate change by regional fishery-management councils. The Natural Resources Committee advanced the measure last month by a vote of 21-18.

The issue is close to home for Peltola: Climate change and biodiversity loss have caused salmon populations to plummet in the Yukon River, where the fish have long nourished and sustained Indigenous communities. 

Meanwhile, Alaska this month canceled the winter snow crab season in the Bering Sea for the first time because of a sharp decline in their estimated population, dealing a severe blow to fishers who make a living off the crabs.