Democrat Mary Peltola, now challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan for a U.S. Senate seat, compiled a legislative record in Alaska marked by frequent absences, a top-of-the-charts taxpayer-funded salary, and a billed trip to Hawaii, according to a report from Breitbart News.
The outlet reported that Peltola was the highest-paid member of the Alaska state House during her five terms, drawing a salary of $77,884 in 2008 — her final year in office — while missing 18.6 percent of votes over her tenure. That figure translates to roughly one in five votes missed.
A pattern of absences that followed her
According to Breitbart, Peltola established a recurring pattern: running for office, missing substantial stretches of votes, then leaving to lobby former colleagues in Alaska and Washington.
That pattern, the outlet reported, extended beyond the state legislature. In 2011, Peltola was elected to the Bethel City Council in western Alaska. During her time on the council, she missed more than a third of the city’s official meetings. She later became a lobbyist for the city of Bethel, earning at least $144,999.66 between 2015 and 2017, according to records from the Alaska Office of Public Commission cited in the report.
Her absences followed her to Washington. Peltola was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2022 and, Breitbart reported, again missed stretches of votes. No legislation she sponsored was signed into law during her tenure. Her congressional office was also marked by one of the highest staff turnover rates in Congress.
Hawaii trip billed to taxpayers
The Hawaii travel was first reported by the Anchorage Daily News. In 2006, the outlet revealed that Alaska lawmakers “billed the state for more than just plane tickets. Some get per diems, meals, and hotel rooms.” Peltola’s portion of that billing came to $1,525.06, according to the report.
The trip was a corporate retreat in Hawaii, Breitbart reported.
Policy record and controversy
During her time in the legislature, Peltola led Alaska’s “tolerance commission,” which advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. According to the report, the commission recommended banning state employees from asking about the immigration status of people seeking taxpayer-funded services, providing health care for sex offenders, and mandating diversity training for state employees and law enforcement. The outlet also noted that Peltola advocated for reintroducing a state income tax as a way to “protect the rich,” according to one news outlet.
The Breitbart report further described Peltola as having a “pattern of angry outbursts, physical abuse, and slurs including the n-word.” It did not provide additional sourcing or detail for that characterization in the article. This publication has not independently verified those claims.
Post-Congress lobbying and the 2026 Senate race
After losing her re-election bid in 2024, Peltola joined a lobbying firm. A federal financial disclosure indicated she received a salary of $342,400.16 from a Washington law firm. One Alaska outlet, as cited by Breitbart, wrote that her “lucrative post-Congress lobbying work raises concerns.”
Peltola now faces Sen. Dan Sullivan in November. President Trump has praised Sullivan and is scheduled to hold a rally in Alaska on Tuesday.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/10/12/chronically-absent-mary-peltola-drew-highest-salary-in-alaska-legislature-billed-taxpayers-hawaii-vacation/