Who is Mary Peltola? Democrat leader who lost her husband in a plane crash and her mother in the same year; now faces a tough US Senate battle

The US Senate race in Alaska between Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola remained undecided on Wednesday. According to CBS News, around three-quarters of the votes had been counted by Wednesday morning, with the contest still considered a toss-up. Both candidates have asked their supporters to be patient as the counting process could reportedly take several weeks.

Alaska follows a ranked-choice voting system. Voters can rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the first-choice voters, the election moves to another round of counting.

Peltola had acknowledged the lengthy process and said that the results could take time.

All about Mary Peltola?

Mary Peltola is a Democratic politician from Alaska. She made history in 2022 by becoming the first Alaska native and first woman elected to represent the state in the US House. She served in Congress from 2022 to 2025. She lost her re-election bid in 2024 to Republican Nick Begich.

In January 2026, she announced her decision to challenge Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Her campaign had focused on affordability and the everyday economic challenges faced by people in Alaska.

The personal tragedies Mary Peltola faced

Behind her political career, Mary Peltola experienced two major family losses in 2023. She lost her husband, Eugene 'Buzzy' Peltola Jr., in a plane crash in September 2023. Buzzy died after a single-engine Piper PA-18 crashed shortly after taking off near St Mary's in western Alaska on September 12. He was 57 years old. According to reports, he had been transporting a hunter and equipment to a remote location.

Her mother also died in 2023, within months of her husband's death. Peltola's campaign spokesperson later told Newsweek that she had suddenly and tragically lost both her mother and husband within a few months. The spokesperson said she was simultaneously raising children through their grief, serving in Congress thousands of miles from home and managing a competitive re-election campaign.

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Mary Peltola and her family

Mary and Buzzy Peltola had a blended family of seven children. They had three children together, while Buzzy also had four children from an earlier relationship. Following Buzzy's death, Mary was left to navigate family responsibilities while continuing her political career.