Alaska Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola and her Republican challenger traded blows over public lands and mining policy in a debate Thursday.
Nick Begich is challenging Peltola, the lone Democrat in Congress from Alaska, in one of the country’s tightest races. Polls suggest the contest is a toss-up.
A centrist member of the Blue Dog Coalition, Peltola frequently bucks her party on natural resources issues — favoring more development. Holding Peltola’s seat is a top priority for national Democrats as they seek to win back a majority in the House.
Peltola burnished her bipartisan bona fides during the debate, including by taking credit for President Joe Biden’s 2023 approval of an oil drilling project on federal lands known as Willow, a politically costly flip-flop for Biden, who famously pledged there would be no new drilling on federal lands in his 2020 campaign.