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Who is Mary Peltola's husband? First Alaska native to serve in Congress defeats Sarah Palin in three-way race

Gene Buzzy Peltola was the Assistant Regional Director for the US Fish and Wildlife Service and is now the director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
UPDATED NOV 24, 2022
Gene Buzzy Peltola (L) is the husband of Mary Peltola (R) who won against Sarah Palin (I) (Alaska Public Media, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Gene Buzzy Peltola (L) is the husband of Mary Peltola (R) who won against Sarah Palin (I) (Alaska Public Media, Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)

JUNEAU, ALASKA: Mary Peltola has won the three-way race in Alaska. She was the first Native to serve in Congress who got elected to fill out the term of Rep Don Young, the Republican who had held the seat for 50 years till he died in March.

Peltola contested against two republicans, former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich. As Alaska elects Peltola to continue her leadership, here are some details of Peltola's husband, Gene "Buzzy" Peltola. 

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Meanwhile, Peltola was reelected In Alaska's ranked-choice voting. This means that contests where neither candidate reached the majority mark, will gradually eliminate the individual who finished with the lowest number of votes. If a voter had chosen that last-place candidate, their vote then goes to their second choice. If a voter's first choice was not eliminated, their vote stays with that candidate. This is the new electoral method adopted in Alaska as a part of the recent elections, reported ABC. 

Who is Mary Peltola's husband?

Gene "Buzzy" Peltola is the third husband of Mary Peltola. She was previously married to Jonathan Kaspner, a pilot, and then married Joe G Nelson, a lawyer. Gene is the new director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. He is responsible for supervising the BIA offices in Anchorage and Fairbanks. Peltola has seven children four of her own and three stepchildren with Gene.

Gene once served as the president of Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp., a charitable organization located in the community. This community specifically served in physical rehabilitation, emergency care, cardiology, pediatrics, cancer, mental health, and pharmacy, reported the focus. He was also the Chief Executive officer of the same organization from January 1990 to January 2014.

Gene Buzz Peltola embracing MAry Peltola after the victory (Mary Peltola/ Facebook)
Gene Buzzy Peltola embracing MAry Peltola after the victory (Mary Peltola/ Facebook)

The duo lives in Bethel, one of western Alaska’s largest cities. In an interview with Alaska Public Media, she claimed, "I grew up hunting, my husband is a hunter, and I will continue to own guns and defend the right of Alaskans to own guns." In 2013, he was the Assistant Regional Director for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. He also headed the subsistence program at the Office of Subsistence Management. While speaking about his job in subsistence management, he said, “When it comes down to it, the kids are happy as long as their hands are greasy and their face is greasy,” Peltola says. “And they really don’t mind whether they’re dry fish or smoke fish is a chum, a king, a red, you know, or kippered silvers," reported Alaska Public Media. 

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (L) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) as husband Gene Peltola looks on at the Capitol September 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. Peltola won a special election to finish the remaining term of the late Rep. Don Young.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (L) participates in a ceremonial swearing-in of Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) as husband Gene Peltola looks on at the Capitol (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Gene graduated from Bethel Regional High School and also ran the Yukon Delta refuge for five years which is the second-largest wildlife refuge in the country. Gene has worked on the boards of Bethel Native Corporation and its subsidiaries, Bethel Solutions, LLC, and Bethel Services Inc. From 2010 to 2012 Gene was the vice-mayor and council member for the City of Bethel.

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