If you follow Mary Peltola on social media, maybe you’ve noticed that the former Alaska congresswoman is talking about more than fish, family and freedom as she runs for U.S. Senate.
Many of her posts are about “crooked politicians feathering their own nests,” and an elite class that’s “rigging the system” against regular people.
Alaska Public Media Washington Correspondent Liz Ruskin joined Alaska News Nightly host Casey Grove to provide some context for this line of messaging.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Casey Grove: Liz, this was the topic of your Alaska At-Large newsletter (Friday). Peltola is far from the only candidate claiming the system is rigged and accusing D.C. politicians of self-dealing. Why did you think it was noteworthy?
Liz Ruskin: It is right in line with what several Democratic challengers are saying in other Senate races, but it seemed new for Peltola. I don’t remember her focusing on it in her previous three congressional campaigns. So I asked her where this was coming from for her.
She said she saw things during her two-plus years in the U.S. House, and now that she’s had a year to reflect, she says lawmakers are too focused on their stock portfolios.
Mary Peltola: I thought that there were protections that prevented self-dealing and self-enriching. I was quite surprised to find out that it was even a discussion whether it should be done, and that there was a move afoot to prohibit that legislation from going forward to ban stock trading.
CG: OK, so she’s talking about banning Congress members from trading in stocks. What else?
LR: She’s endorsing a slate of reforms to battle “dark money” in politics. Those things, and her language about corrupt elites and billionaires rigging the system against regular people — those sound very progressive populist, like (Democratic Sens.) Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren. But other parts — like her call for term limits, that’s more associated with right-wing populism, like former (House) Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party.
CG: You’re saying that this approach, running against the system and against D.C. incumbents, appeals to a broad swath of voters?
LR: Yes, she’s espousing things that cut across party lines. She’s not alienating Trump supporters by attacking, say, the SAVE Act, which is voting reform President Trump really wants and is broadly popular among his supporters.
CG: When she’s talking about self-dealing D.C. politicians, is she aiming that at the incumbent, (Republican) Sen. Dan Sullivan?
LR: Not directly. And I should say, I haven’t seen any evidence that Sullivan is taking action in office to enrich himself, but here’s what she said when I asked her if she was aiming this at Sullivan.
MP: I think it's a systemic problem. Just the fact that half of the current sitting members of Congress are millionaires or billionaires is surprising to me, and certainly the incumbent is no different. He is right there with that pack of folks who has benefited substantially. His personal wealth has quadrupled in his two terms in office.
LR: Casey, that can’t be precisely fact-checked, because the financial disclosure requirements aren’t very precise. But quadrupling in value over 12 years? That wouldn’t surprise me. It sounds like a lot, but if you invested in a broad-based mutual fund when Sullivan was sworn in you’d have roughly quadrupled your money, too. But that does take capital to start with, and Sullivan had some. He went to Harvard, he’s from a wealthy family, so if you’re making an anti-elite argument, there you go. And Peltola is coupling it with the Democratic affordability argument, saying Sullivan’s support of Trump policies have raised the cost of health care.
CG: Didn’t I see a poll recently that said she’s ahead?
LR: Right. Alaska Survey Research is one of the few that makes polls in the race public. It has her 5 percentage points ahead. Turnout is, of course key, especially in a midterm and since Sen. Sullivan is staying close to President Trump, I think the big factor is going to be how voters feel about Trump come Election Day.
CG: OK, thanks for explaining that. And if people want to get your Alaska at-Large newsletter, they can subscribe at AlaskaPublic.org/newsletters.
