Alaska Democrat U.S. Senate nominee Mary Peltola backed tax proposals during her time in the Alaska House that would have imposed new income taxes on residents, according to a report from Breitbart, which cites Alaska’s largest newspaper. The measures came years before Peltola made tax cuts a central plank of her 2026 affordability platform.
At the time, Peltola went by her maiden name, Kapsner. According to the Breitbart report, she joined five other lawmakers in closed-door meetings in 2002 to craft a tax package that included a 1.5 percent statewide income tax projected to raise nearly $300 million. The plan also called for a 1.5 percent statewide sales tax, plus separate increases on gasoline, alcohol, and cruise ship passengers, which together were expected to generate another $200 million.
Peltola cast two votes in 2002 in favor of the statewide income tax. According to the report, that tax would have required middle-income Alaskans to pay the highest rate.
A May 2002 editorial in the Anchorage Daily News, Alaska’s largest newspaper, criticized the proposal, calling it the “misnamed Alaska Fair Tax” and stating that it “hits the middle to protect the rich,” according to Breitbart’s account. The editorial’s language is notable given the direction of Peltola’s current messaging.
A Second Income Tax Vote Two Years Later
The Breitbart report also points to 2004, when Peltola again backed a statewide income tax. She co-sponsored a bill that would have required most Alaskans to pay an additional 15 percent to 20 percent of their federal tax bill to the state, according to the outlet.
Those votes stand in contrast to her current campaign rhetoric. Peltola now says she wants to “lower taxes,” writing that “Alaskans should be able to keep more of the money that they earn in their own pockets. That’s why I’ll fight to cut taxes for more than half of hardworking Alaskans.”
She has also characterized President Donald Trump’s Working Families Tax Cuts as “damaging,” even though the legislation has been promoted as the largest middle-class tax cut in history. According to Breitbart, filers earning between $100,000 and $200,000 who claimed one of Trump’s signature tax cuts received an average cut of more than $1,250, while those earning between $50,000 and $100,000 received an average cut of more than $815.
Fishing Brand, Thin Legislative Record on Fish
Peltola has built her political identity and her 2026 Senate campaign around fishing. She has released a salmon-themed video game, has a supporting super PAC called the Fish Family Freedom Fund, and uses a campaign slogan that begins with the word “Fish,” according to the report.
But her legislative record on the issue is sparse, per Breitbart. During her first term in Congress, Peltola did not sponsor a single fish-related bill. Over roughly a decade in the Alaska House, she introduced only one: a loan program that would have allowed fishermen behind on their taxes to borrow money and repay it with interest.
The report also notes her attendance record. Peltola missed 794 of more than 4,000 votes during five terms in the Alaska House, along with 22 Bethel City Council meetings. Her campaign has said she took maternity leave while serving in the state House, and that, excluding excused absences, she missed about six percent of votes.
The Affordability Fight in Alaska
The contrast between Peltola’s past support for new income taxes and her current pitch as a tax cutter is likely to feature prominently in the Alaska Senate race, where cost-of-living issues are a central concern for voters. Breitbart’s reporting frames the 2026 contest around whether Peltola can square her record in Juneau with her campaign promises in a state where she is now the Democratic nominee for federal office.
Peltola’s campaign did not immediately respond to the outlet’s characterization of her record, according to the report. The article also notes that readers can contact the publication if they encounter issues with the commenting system.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/09/22/democrat-mary-peltola-backed-tax-plan-that-would-protect-the-rich-according-to-alaskas-largest-newspaper/