Rep. Peltola ‘keeping an open mind’ on presidential race, refuses to endorse Harris

Alaska Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola said Tuesday that she had not yet decided whether she’d support Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee for president, and that her decision was contingent on Harris’ energy-related policies.

“I am still keeping an open mind,” Peltola said.

Peltola is one of five Democrats running for reelection in U.S. House districts that former President Donald Trump won in 2020. Speaking to reporters Tuesday by video conference, she said she would not endorse Harris as the Democratic nominee despite the Alaska Democratic Party delegation’s vote to support Harris’ candidacy on Sunday.

“Looking at this presidential race, my position is whoever the president is, that is the person that I’m interested in working with to help Alaska move forward. Whether that president is Donald Trump or if that president happens to be Kamala Harris, there will be a lot of common ground. There will be a lot of things that we collectively agree on,” Peltola said.

Following the call, Peltola posted on social media that she would not vote for Trump and would not endorse another candidate.

“I won’t vote for a candidate who’s not pro-choice. I can’t ask Alaskans to vote for a candidate who’s not pro-energy,” she wrote.

Peltola said she would examine Harris’ record to determine whether she would support her candidacy.

“I’m going to be really looking at her policy positions specifically on energy. And while I really appreciate her stance on women’s reproductive rights, Social Security, voting rights and a host of other things, as the representative for Alaska, my No. 1 job is looking at our economy and our energy situation and which of the two candidates will be better in terms of our energy portfolio,” Peltola said.

Harris has been praised by environmental advocates for her record on climate issues, while Trump has worked to promote the fossil fuel industry. Harris’ energy record prior to becoming Biden’s running mate was to the left of Biden’s. She promised to end federal support for the fossil fuel industry and immediately stop new oil leases on federal lands and waters. She was also critical of the oil and gas industry.

Among Democrats in Alaska and nationally, support has coalesced since Sunday around Harris, and no notable Democrat has declared an intention to run against her. The Democratic nominee for president is set to be formally decided at the Democratic convention next month in Chicago, though the decision could be finalized ahead of the convention.

[Alaska Democrats quickly endorse Harris as nominee for president]

Peltola said she would also be looking to see who Harris picks as a running mate.

“I would love it if she chose a pro-choice Republican so we could get away from some of the inflammatory partisanship that we’ve seen,” Peltola said.

Peltola’s campaign has focused, among other issues, on preserving reproductive rights, which Peltola said was “very important” to her personally. Though she is in line with Harris on that issue, Peltola said she could not make a decision on which presidential candidate to support based on that issue alone.

“I have to put Alaska and Alaskan issues before my own personal preferences and this is a very uncomfortable place to be,” she said.

While prominent Alaska Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, have said that Trump’s energy policies benefitted Alaska when he was in office, Peltola said the former president’s approach was unsuccessful in the long term.

“While Donald Trump may have been good on energy issues, I think tactically the way that some of the issues that his administration worked on, things did not hold up in court. I would like to see an administration that will work with Alaska towards solutions that will hold up in court,” she said, referencing a Trump-era planned land exchange that would have allowed the isolated community of King Cove to build a road to the nearest airstrip through a national wildlife refuge. The land swap authorized under Trump was thrown out in court last year.

Peltola said that she would not publicly endorse candidates ahead of the November election and that her past support for President Joe Biden should not have been interpreted as an endorsement.

“I think there is a difference between saying who you are personally going to vote for and who you endorse and are encouraging other people to — basically telling other people to vote for,” she said.

Peltola said she thinks “it’s important for people to make up their own mind” on whom to vote for and was dismissive of the idea that the shake-up in the Democratic presidential ticket could have down-ballot advantages for Alaska’s left-leaning candidates, including in her own race, in which she faces two Republican challengers, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and businessman Nick Begich. Both have endorsed Trump.

“There will be people who are incentivized to vote one way or another based on the presidential race, but I think in Alaska there will be a lot more people who are more incentivized to get out and vote to vote for the state House and Senate candidates,” she said.

Peltola also downplayed the importance of her vote in the presidential election, reasoning that the state has always chosen Republican presidential candidates in her lifetime. Alaskans last voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in 1964.

“Alaska is not in play for the presidential race. We have not been in play, ever,” she said. “So I’m not really sure that my personal vote is going to make any difference at all in the outcome of this larger election.”

‘Mental acuity’

In December, Peltola gave an interview in which she responded to a question about Biden by saying his “mental acuity is very, very on.” The quote has since reverberated as Biden faced pressure from within the Democratic Party to bow out of the presidential race, and Peltola remained largely silent on the issue of his candidacy until Biden dropped out of the race on Sunday.

Peltola said Tuesday that a lot had changed since she last interacted with Biden in September and that she was “surprised” by Biden’s poor performance in the June presidential debate.

Peltola said she had last met with Biden in person when he stopped in Alaska on Sept. 11, and spoke with him on the phone several days later, when Biden called to offer his condolences after the unexpected death of Peltola’s husband.

“He was very on-point in both the face-to-face meeting as well as on the phone. That was nearly 10 months ago,” she said. “He does seem a lot older than he was 10 months ago.”

Though Peltola voiced support for Biden last year, on Tuesday she said Biden had since made decisions that she thought were not in the best interest of the state. She said the Biden administration had taken 68 actions that “shut down Alaska’s economy.” The list of actions was originally compiled by Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan. It includes a single executive order issued by Biden on his first day in office, followed by dozens of procedural steps taken by federal agencies.

The National Republican Congressional Committee, which announced last month that it would spend more than $2 million on advertising in Alaska in an effort to replace Peltola with a Republican, on Tuesday released its first ad attacking her.

The ad quotes Peltola’s December interview in which she praised Biden. Asked about the ad, Peltola said she was confident that “Alaskan voters will see through that baloney, the lies that will be perpetuated on commercials throughout the campaign cycle.”

“I wasn’t interested and continue not to be interested in attacking my opponents or anyone in the political field. I am very interested in looking at the challenges that face Alaska and finding solutions to those with everyone and anyone regardless of party,” she said.