Washington Post: How a Democrat won a special election in Alaska
The Early 202 Newsletter | September 16
Analysis by Theodoric Meyer and Leigh Ann Caldwell
Eight questions for … Martha McKenna: We chatted about the midterms with the Democratic admaker who worked for Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), who was sworn in this week after winning a special election last month in an upset. This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
The Early: How did you get involved in Peltola's race?
McKenna: I have a number of friends in Alaska, who were all in touch with each other when [Rep.] Don Young [(R-Alaska)] passed. And Mary's name sort of bubbled to the surface as somebody who people admired and a Democrat from a rural area. She had not been in the [state] legislature for about 10 years, but had been a real powerhouse when she was [first] elected. There was excitement about a pro-choice woman Democrat running. I got to know her by phone, and I was really impressed with her focus on fish and protecting fish stocks and the importance of fish culturally and economically — and also [her] very clear commitment to women's reproductive rights.
The Early: Had you worked in Alaska before?
McKenna: Yes. I got to know folks in Alaska because my husband worked there for [former Democratic Gov.] Tony Knowles. And I was the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee’s] political director in 2008 when [Mark] Begich decided to run against [Republican Sen.] Ted Stevens and beat him. So I spent a lot of time in Alaska for that campaign.
The Early: Did you think Peltola had a path to victory when you signed on?
McKenna: Yes. Ranked-choice voting provided a very different formula for someone like Mary. The real effort in the first few months was to take her from polling at 1 or 2 percent and get her to finish in the top four [in the primary], which she did. She came in fourth. That was a more traditional race: building name ID and introducing Mary and her positions on fish and family and reproductive freedom to enough people on TV and in mail and in the hard work of retail politics.
The formula thereafter for [a] ranked-choice voting [election] was one that a moderate bridge-builder like Mary Peltola is made for. If somebody said they were for Palin, she said, “Great, vote for Sarah Palin, and would you consider me for your second [choice]?” She's just a very friendly and open person. Ranked-choice voting provided her an opportunity because of her ability to build coalitions.
The Early: Peltola has described herself as “pro-fish,” and her first TV ad featured her carving up a salmon. How did you settle on the fish theme, and what does it mean to be pro-fish in Alaska?
McKenna: On the Kuskokwim River, where Alaska Natives have been fishing for 12,000 years, salmon is a way of life. The fish stock has dwindled to such a great extent that now you can barely put one fish on the table. Factory trawlers catch the juvenile halibut, crab and salmon, and really disrupt the salmon stock. There has to be more give and take so that families who rely on fishing for their subsistence and to feed their families, that there are fish for them. Mary's going to work hard to bring balance back to that equation for Alaska.
