Suzanne Downing: Mary Peltola’s Ambitions and Alaska’s Choices
By SUZANNE DOWNING Oct. 21, 2026 – Alaskans chose not to extend Mary Peltola's employment contract in 2024, and now, just two years later, she seeks a promotion with a six-year commitment.
By SUZANNE DOWNING
Oct. 21, 2026 – Alaskans chose not to extend Mary Peltola’s employment contract in 2024, and now, just two years later, she seeks a promotion with a six-year commitment. After losing her House seat to Nick Begich, Peltola secured a lucrative $400,000 per year position at Holland & Hart, an indication of the typical career trajectory in Washington: enter public office, build connections, leverage those into the private sector, and later return to the electorate for another chance.
As her Senate financial filings reveal, Peltola earned $342,400 from Holland & Hart between March 2025 and January 2026. While she avoided federal lobbyist registration due to her recent departure from Congress, her advisory role raises questions about its value immediately after her ousting. Voters must ponder whether her evolving stance on Senator Dan Sullivan is fueled by her ambitions rather than a genuine concern for Alaskans’ interests. With Murkowski now endorsing Sullivan, it may be wise for Alaskans to reflect on Peltola’s past performance, especially when considering another lengthy term in office.
Comments
Anne 2026-10-24
Suzanne has absolutely no reason to be jealous of Peltola. Everything about Peltola is fake. She is a liar who fabricates everything from her campaign ads, her background, her job performance both in and out of government, to her personal background. Dont let that fake smile fool you. Mary is a snake.
Evan S Singh 2026-10-24
You’re reading too much into my comment Schenker. I think Downing is jealous of Peltola, nothing more. Proof? None.
arcjie 2026-10-24
if you are suggesting we get rid of bigots i’m with you! let’s start with the worst ones. can you suggest the worst?
jb 2026-10-24
Evan – Your Mom still thinks you are just hanging out in her basement playing video games. Your Mom probably doesn’t know you’ve graduated up to binge watching porno and are having sick, demented, perverted fantasies? Probably not. At least It sounds like Uncle Billie comes by and entertains you once in a while.
Robert Schenker 2026-10-23
Evan,
You and Hans are barking up the wrong tree.
Suzanne, while attractive, isn’t in the business of competing with Mary in a beauty contest. Suzanne is however in the business of delivering information about candidates and events and bringing stories to the public in order to make informed decisions.
Mary, who is largely unaccomplished and vacous, is an image, crafted and supported by people who neither know or understand Alaska, but find it important to own a U.S. Senator. Look beyond the pretty smile and the ever present Musk Ox muffler and her resume is pretty thin.
Apparently both you and Hans are incapable of looking past an image and doing a proper analysis of a subject.
You are smitten by Mary and resort to personal attacks against Suzanne when her reporting makes plain how vacuous Mary really is.
Your argument is full of buffoonery and indicates the clown show you subscribe to.
Taxpayer 2026-10-23
LOL! I think it’s the fact that Mary’s real persona is very different from how she portrays herself.
Robert Schenker 2026-10-23
Sam, no Spruce trees in Bethel.
Greg 2026-10-23
You two are either ignorant or worse. Vote no on Mary, no on Bill and no on Jonathan….
Vote YES on 2….and because Evan and Hans are a bit slow, love them as flawed fellow human beings, but again, YES on 2…..
Kendra 2026-10-23
Damon exercising his 34 IQ. A bit more intelligent than a toad, but far less than a poodle. Suzanne should devise a quick test before allowing these nutjobs to post.
Carol 2026-10-23
Get back on your meds, Caleb. It’s almost bed time. Your mommy is ready to read you a story.
caleb Murphy 2026-10-23
32% of Americans approve of Trump! How in the hell can there be 100 million Americans that LIKE this antichrist. Gawd, it’s so depressing. Trump will die but the 100 million dumbshit traitors will remain to again eat the brains of our democracy.
Evan S Singh 2026-10-23
Yes
Evan S Singh 2026-10-23
great idea Tamra! My wife and I have an open marriage. She’s in Reno “visiting” a born again girl stripper for the weekend. I’ll ask her when/if I hear from her. Peltola would be a lovely addition to my family of seven kids and live-in uncle.
Tina 2026-10-22
Furthermore Damon you don’t even know the difference between a bigot and an ignorant person. Most people don’t. nor can they even recognize when someone in front of them is a victim of a small cliche group’s bigotry because of the color of their skin and they are the minority in the workplace.
I bet you are the kind of white coworker who’s make a fool of himself trying to learn the language of a group at work because he is the minority and there is more of them. In his attempt to fit in with the workplace, who wouldn’t accept him for being white anyway, he foolishly patronizes them by trying to learn Spanish or Filipino while they make fun and criticize him behind his back and smile cutely at him to his face patronizing him back making him feel like he belongs.
Tina 2026-10-22
Sometimes it gotten so cold because Enstar gas supply not working, we turn on the electric oven and leave the door open and use Chugach electric’s electricity for providing a little heat.
Then by magic after days or a week or two not working. I turn the thermostat on to check and heat is flowing out the radiator. Which is very suspicious. It’s frustrating that customers are still paying money for gas, and Enstar shuts it off instead of supplying the product paid for like if they are going to shut off the gas then don’t charge the customers for the days they shut it off.
Tina 2026-10-22
Judging by the streets, Trump is more popular than ever among Alaskans especially those of us voted for him.
For us in Alaska He represents an open door to Alaska’s financial prosperity and our energy security.
I don’t know about you but our home didn’t have any gas from Enstar last night. The thermostat says “temporarily” temporarily what? As well as with the thermostat was turned on, there is no heat coming from the radiator and done that before so I said turn it off then. I think Enstar to conserve gas. They quietly and periodically turn off the gas or turn it down for some of their customers so Enstar can conserve the dwindling Cook Inlet gas supply they receive else we all just use it up faster than they can get because South Central doesn’t like being cold.
Tina 2026-10-22
Newsweek. Is another media not Known for scholarly reports and research. It and Time are the Peoples’s magazine of News and current events. No more wasteful than a reader reading Fiction books and novels (unless they are certified Classic literature)
Micah 2026-10-22
The left is OK with Mary’s foul mouth, as reported by the NYT: “faggot” “n******r”, “b***t”.
Damon 2026-10-22
Sam, we can imagine the trail of hotties you’ve left in your wake. Just babe after babe looking for a redneck MAGA with an aversion to dentistry. For the love of God, spare us the photos.
Damon 2026-10-22
According to Newsweek he’s at minus 12. Tamra maybe you should switch to a sativa which might energize you enough to get out of bed and google Trumps approval rating in Alaska. It’s not that hard but you can’t just lay there flipping back and forth from Newsmax to Fox. I’m sure they convinced you that Trump won in 2020. Your guy did say he appreciates the uneducated and you fit that bill convincingly.