Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Mary Peltola missed nearly one in five votes during her tenure in the Alaska House of Representatives and more than a third of her Bethel City Council meetings, according to legislative and city records. These attendance figures have become a point of contention as Peltola campaigns against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska's closely watched Senate race.
Records indicate Peltola missed 794 out of 4,265 state House votes, approximately 18.6%, across her five terms from 1999 to 2009. During her time on the Bethel City Council from 2011 to 2013, she missed 22 out of 60 meetings, a rate of 36.67%.
The Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee have criticized Peltola's attendance record. Nick Poche, a spokesperson for the RNC, stated that "Alaskans deserve an all-the-time workhorse like Dan Sullivan, not someone like Peltola who knifes Alaskans in the back when she even bothers to show up." The NRSC also noted that Peltola, in her time in the U.S. Congress from 2022-2024, missed 235 of 1,370 roll-call votes, or 17.2%, according to Gov.Track data, and has not had any bills she primarily sponsored become law.
Peltola's campaign has defended her absences, attributing some to maternity leave for three of her seven children while serving in the state legislature. A spokesperson for the campaign stated that excluding excused absences, Peltola missed only about 6% of votes and continued to advance bipartisan measures. The campaign also noted that Peltola spent summers at fish camp and that some city council absences occurred during fishing seasons or due to other council priorities.
In response to criticisms of Sullivan's record, the Peltola campaign asserted that he has also missed a significant number of votes and committee hearings, including fisheries subcommittee hearings. Sullivan, a two-term senator, is backed by former President Donald Trump and also advanced to the general election, where he will face Peltola.
Alaska utilizes a nonpartisan top-four primary system, with candidates from all parties appearing on the same ballot, followed by ranked-choice voting in the general election. Peltola announced her Senate bid in January, aiming to unseat Sullivan. She finished ahead of Sullivan in the recent primary election.