Democratic Senate nominee and former Rep. Mary Peltola of Alaska missed nearly one in five votes during her time in the Alaska House of Representatives and more than a third of Bethel City Council meetings, according to legislative and city records reviewed by Fox News.
Peltola served five terms in the state House from 1999 to 2009 and represented Bethel on the city council from 2011 to 2013. She is now challenging Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska's Senate race, a closely watched contest that could affect control of the U.S. Senate.
What the Left Is Saying
Peltola's campaign defended her attendance record, citing maternity leave and other factors. A spokesperson noted that three of Peltola's seven children were born during her time in the state legislature, requiring excused absences for recovery.
"Three of Mary's children were born during her time in the state legislature and she took maternity leave. That didn't stop her from working hard for Alaskans, from passing bills to improve public safety in rural Alaska to increasing Alaska energy production," the campaign said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
The campaign also noted that excluding excused absences, Peltola missed only about 6% of state House votes. The spokesperson added that some city council absences occurred during fishing months or because of other council priorities, given Bethel is a subsistence fishing community.
"She couldn't even get a single bill signed into law," the National Republican Senatorial Committee posted on X in January. "Now she wants a promotion."
What the Right Is Saying
Republicans have seized on Peltola's attendance record as evidence of insufficient commitment to public service. The Republican National Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee have both highlighted her missed votes in campaign communications.
"Alaskans deserve an all-the-time workhorse like Dan Sullivan, not someone like Peltola who knifes Alaskans in the back when she even bothers to show up," RNC spokesperson Nick Poche said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
Critics have also pointed to her time serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2022 to 2024, during which she missed 235 of 1,370 roll-call votes, or 17.2%, according to GovTrack data. They note that no bills or resolutions for which Peltola served as primary sponsor became law during her congressional tenure.
What the Numbers Show
According to Alaska legislative records, Peltola missed 794 of 4,265 state House votes, representing an absence rate of 18.6% across her five terms from 1999 to 2009. Her highest number of absences came during the 23rd Legislature from 2003 to 2004, when she missed 334 of 1,019 roll-call votes.
City records show Peltola attended 38 of 60 Bethel City Council meetings, or 63.33%, between 2011 and 2013. She missed nine of 22 council meetings in 2013 and 11 of 32 meetings in 2012.
In Congress from 2022 to 2024, according to GovTrack data reviewed by Fox News, Peltola missed 235 of 1,370 roll-call votes, or approximately 17.2%. By comparison, the average House member missed far fewer votes during that period.
Peltola finished ahead of Sullivan in Tuesday's Alaska primary under the state's unique top-four nonpartisan primary system, advancing to November's general election along with the incumbent Republican.
The Bottom Line
The attendance record of both candidates is likely to feature prominently as Alaska's Senate race progresses toward November. Peltola's campaign has emphasized her legislative accomplishments and family circumstances, while Republicans are framing her absences as evidence she is unreliable for Alaskans.
Alaska's ranked-choice voting system in the general election could amplify the impact of candidate character debates, as voters rank their preferences among all four candidates. Control of the Senate hinges on several competitive races including this one.