Alaska Rep. Peltola joins centrist House Blue Dog Coalition

WASHINGTON — Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola joined the congressional Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats who advocate for fiscal responsibility and on national security issues.

Peltola said in a written statement that the Blue Dogs will give her a “ready-made network” of like-minded lawmakers who are open to working across the aisle. She said the Blue Dogs agree on the importance of issues like investment in clean energy, affordable housing and child care. She also said she plans to work with the Blue Dogs on the debt ceiling, calling it “the most pressing issue in Congress” now.

In January, POLITICO reported that several members of Blue Dog Coalition left during a dispute about rebranding the group as the “Common Sense Coalition.” Peltola is the first new member to become a Blue Dog since the rift and is currently the only woman in the now eight-person group.

Peltola said she made her decision to join the Blue Dogs “independently from any internal caucus discussions.”

Blue Dog co-chairs Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Jim Costa of California welcomed Peltola to the group in a Thursday statement, calling her a “fantastic addition” to the coalition.

Peltola also recently joined the centrist Problem Solvers Caucus, a bipartisan group in the House of Representatives that advocates on a range of topics like immigration and gun control.

“As I said in my recent address to Alaska’s state legislature, politics should fundamentally be about fixing things, and that’s what Alaskans sent me here to do. I’m glad to have found a Caucus who shares that mission,” Peltola said of the Problem Solvers in a statement.

Since becoming a member of Congress last fall, Peltola has joined a slew of other issue and identity-related caucuses. The groups include the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, the House Hunger Caucus, the Oceans Caucus, the Black Maternal Health Caucus, the Western Caucus, the Native American Caucus and the Democratic Women’s Caucus. She is also the co-chair of the Arctic Working Group.

In her statement, Peltola said she is “evaluating any other requests on a case-by-case basis.”