Rep. Mary Peltola announces former opponent Josh Revak will join her office as state director

Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola said Wednesday that Republican former state Sen. Josh Revak will be joining her Alaska office as state director.

Revak, from Anchorage, was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 2018 before being selected by Gov. Mike Dunleavy to fill a state Senate seat that was vacated by the death of Sen. Chris Birch in 2019. Revak was among Peltola’s 47 opponents in the Alaska’s special U.S. House election last year but did not advance beyond the primary.

A U.S. Army veteran, Revak also previously worked for Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and the late Republican Rep. Don Young as a military affairs liaison. He was also a co-chair for Young’s reelection campaign, and after Young’s death, he was endorsed by Young’s widow in his U.S. House run.

In a written statement, Peltola said she is “grateful to have Josh joining my team.”

“Josh’s experience working for Don and on behalf of Alaskans will be a major asset to our team, and I look forward to working with him to help people address their individual concerns with the federal government,” Peltola said.

As state director, Revak will lead an office that assists Alaskans with federal agencies and constituent casework on a variety of issues.

Peltola has reached across the aisle in previous staff hires — for example, her chief of staff is Alex Ortiz, a Republican from Ketchikan who held the same job under Young.

“We may have different party affiliations, but the job is about serving all Alaskans,” Revak said in a written statement. “When Mary reached out to me expressing her commitment to hearing all Alaskan voices and serving all Alaskans to the best of her ability, I shared that vision. I look forward to serving Alaskans in this capacity.”