Alaska Congresswoman Mary Peltola and her challenger Nick Begich III vied for the oil industry’s support at a candidates’ forum in Anchorage on Wednesday.
Peltola spoke first. She thanked the moderator, did a microphone check and then took a breath.
“WILLOW!” she shouted to applause.
Peltola, a Democrat, repeatedly emphasized her support for the ConocoPhillips project and her work with Alaska’s Republican senators to persuade President Biden to greenlight the Arctic project. She took her cues from her predecessor, the late Congressman Don Young. She even dressed to match, with a plaid flannel shirt and Young’s old bolo tie with the Alaska flag. She told the audience at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association conference that she had pushed Young’s priorities.
“I have stood up against this administration’s policies in ANWR and NPRA,” she said, referring to two vast swathes of federal land, “and have provided audiences with the highest levels of the Interior for North Slope stakeholders this administration had ignored. And I will always stand up for Alaska and our interests.”
Wearing the typical Republican uniform of a dark suit and red tie, Begich also ran for the seat in 2022. He said he was better positioned to carry on Young’s legacy.
And I tell you now: There is no better friend of the oil and gas industry in Alaska in Congress than me,” he said.
It was the first forum of the year for the two candidates and the first since Peltola won more than 50% of the vote in last week’s primary. Begich trailed by 27%, but that was enough to convince the third-place finisher, Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom, to drop out and focus Republican support on a top candidate.
Begich repeatedly accused Peltola of being a Democrat and accused her of being in league with the Biden-Harris administration and other senior Democrats.
“Remember,” he said, “the most important vote a congressman has is the vote for the Speaker of the House, and when Mary Peltola votes to make the Speaker of the House a Democrat, she is committing us to participate in the Democrats’ agenda.”
Peltola emphasized her work across party lines, including as a member of the Congressional Western Caucus.
“The Western Caucus consists of 106 Republicans and me,” she said.
The candidates were sent the moderator’s questions in advance and most of them read out their answers. Nevertheless, a few sparks flew.
Peltola said Begich’s candidacy was more about ambition than public engagement, pointing out that he had never held elected office and originally ran against Representative Young.
Begich took a dig at Peltola for being absent from the House for important votes, which provoked a sharp reaction.
“A number of tragic things have happened in my family,” she said, “and I hope my mother and husband do not die in the next two years.”
Peltola’s husband died in a plane crash in mid-September last year, a few months after her mother’s death. Peltola’s attendance at convention events dropped rapidly as she spent her time attending funerals and supporting her children and other family members.
Begich and Peltola will appear on the November ranked-choice ballot along with Republican Matthew Salisbury and John Wayne Howe of the Alaska Independence Party.