Each of these candidates has demonstrated a commitment to issues that matter deeply to our shareholders, including Native sovereignty, cultural vitality, sustainable economic opportunity and Indigenous leadership. We are proud to share the reasons for our endorsements below.

Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins "JKT" for Governor

Sealaska proudly endorses Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins "JKT" for Governor of Alaska.

JKT has translated his commitment to Native language revitalization into lasting change. As a legislator, he authored and passed the law recognizing Alaska Native languages as official languages of the State of Alaska. He later helped create a pathway for fluent speakers and Elders to teach in immersion classrooms, removing one of the most significant barriers facing language revitalization efforts. Those accomplishments continue to strengthen Lingít, X̰aad Kíl, Sm'algyax and Indigenous languages across Alaska.

JKT's leadership on language revitalization aligns directly with Sealaska's commitment to strengthening cultural identity and keeping Native languages at the center of community life.

His work on language revitalization reflects a broader belief that communities should shape their own future. JKT understands that culture endures when communities have the authority and opportunity to carry it forward. That principle has shaped his public service and informed his approach to issues that matter deeply to Southeast Alaska Native communities.

JKT has made subsistence a priority. He supports aligning Alaska's subsistence framework with ANILCA's rural priority, ending state litigation that challenges federal subsistence protections and expanding Native representation in fisheries and wildlife management. He has consistently called for Indigenous Knowledge to play a greater role in decisions affecting Alaska's lands and waters. That commitment reflects Sealaska's belief that Indigenous knowledge and Native leadership must play a central role in stewardship of our homelands.

His commitment to stewardship extends beyond policy. JKT has participated in Sustainable Southeast Partnership retreats, publicly supported SSP's collaborative stewardship model and expressed support for the emerging Seacoast Trust. Those efforts reflect a vision of stewardship rooted in community leadership, a principle that aligns closely with Sealaska's commitment to healthy homelands and sustainable Native economies.

JKT also supports stronger government-to-government relationships between the State of Alaska and Alaska's federally recognized Tribes. He has committed to meaningful consultation before state actions affect Indigenous lands, resources and communities and supports reinforcing those commitments in state law.

Self-determination has defined JKT's public service. Through language revitalization, Tribal partnership and Indigenous stewardship, he has advanced priorities that align closely with Sealaska's mission to strengthen our people, culture and homelands. Sealaska is proud to endorse Johnathan Kreiss-Tomkins "JKT" for Governor of Alaska.

Mary Peltola for U.S. Senate

Sealaska proudly endorses Mary Peltola for the United States Senate.

Mary Peltola understands that thriving communities depend on abundance. Throughout her career, she has worked to sustain the resources, opportunities and ways of life that connect people to place.

She grew up on the Kuskokwim River, where salmon were not a symbol of Alaska's way of life but part of daily life itself. The lessons that shaped her came from the river, from fish camp and from communities that relied on one another through every season. Those experiences continue to shape her leadership and her understanding of what is at stake for Alaska's families and communities.

Throughout her career, Mary has remained closely connected to the people and places she serves. She represented rural Alaska in the State Legislature, served on the Bethel City Council, worked alongside Tribal governments and Alaska Native organizations and later led the Kuskokwim River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission. In that role, she brought Tribal leaders, resource managers and communities together around a shared responsibility to sustain salmon for generations to come. That work reflects the kind of collaborative stewardship Sealaska believes is essential to protecting our homelands and the resources they provide.

Mary became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress and the first woman to represent Alaska in the U.S. House of Representatives. She brought to Washington a perspective long absent from federal decision-making, one grounded in subsistence, stewardship and life in rural Alaska. She brought an understanding of Alaska that cannot be learned from a briefing book or a committee hearing. Her election also expanded Native representation at the national level and demonstrated the leadership Sealaska seeks to cultivate across generations.

Mary Peltola, the first Alaska Native in Congress, championed the landless legislation as a signature cause, sponsoring the bill and building bipartisan support with Republicans like Pete Stauber, Lisa Murkowski, and Dan Sullivan. Drawing on her firsthand knowledge of Congress, she helped push the effort further than any attempt in the prior 50 years, clearing a Senate committee for the first time.

Her record reflects a practical understanding of what thriving communities require. She has advocated for stronger protections for Alaska salmon, secured investments in infrastructure and broadband and supported responsible resource development that creates opportunity while sustaining the lands and waters that define Alaska Native homelands. That balanced approach aligns closely with Sealaska's vision for sustainable Native economies.

Throughout her public service, Mary has pursued a simple idea: Alaska's future should be defined by abundance. She believes future generations should inherit thriving fisheries, strong communities and the opportunity to remain connected to the places they call home. That vision resonates across Southeast Alaska and reflects the aspirations of many Sealaska shareholders.

Mary Peltola has spent her career serving the people and places that shaped her. Her leadership reflects a belief that Alaska's future depends on healthy communities, abundant natural resources and opportunities that endure across generations. Sealaska is proud to endorse Mary Peltola for the United States Senate.

Bill Hill for U.S. House of Representatives

Sealaska proudly endorses Bill Hill for Alaska's At-Large Congressional District.

Bill Hill brings a depth of experience rooted in service to Alaska Native communities. He has led Paug-Vik, Inc., built a career in rural education and spent a lifetime on Alaska's waters as a commercial fisherman and subsistence harvester. Few candidates bring such direct experience with the institutions, economies and ways of life that sustain Native communities across Alaska.

More than fifty years after ANCSA, five Southeast Alaska communities remain without the land settlement afforded to other Native communities. Bill has made a legislative remedy for Alaska Natives Without Land a priority and is committed to working directly with coalition leaders to advance a solution. That commitment reflects a core Sealaska priority: ensuring Native communities exercise meaningful authority over their homelands and their future.

Bill approaches stewardship through lived experience. As a lifelong fisherman, he understands what salmon mean to Alaska because he has depended on them throughout his life. He has called for stronger protections for the salmon systems that sustain communities across the state and for Indigenous and Local Knowledge to play a greater role in federal fisheries management. He has also emphasized the importance of Indigenous leadership in stewardship of the Tongass National Forest and advocates for management approaches that elevate Tribal Nations, Native corporations and local communities. That perspective aligns closely with Sealaska's commitment to Native stewardship and the long-term health of our homelands.

Bill has consistently championed the institutions that sustain Native communities. He has described Native language revitalization as "existentially important" and supports greater federal investment in immersion education, household language programs and teacher development for Lingít, X̰aad Kíl and Sm'algyax. His support for Native language revitalization reflects Sealaska's commitment to strengthening cultural identity and ensuring future generations remain connected to language, place and community.

Sealaska also values Bill's unwavering support for the federal 8(a) program. Having led a village corporation, he understands that Native corporations create opportunities far beyond business success. They strengthen shareholders, invest in future generations and help communities thrive. That perspective aligns closely with Sealaska's belief that strong Native economies create opportunity for shareholders, strengthen communities and sustain cultural continuity.

Bill Hill has spent his career advancing self-determination. He has consistently invested in the people and institutions that make strong Native communities possible. Sealaska is proud to endorse Bill Hill for Alaska's At-Large Congressional District.

Sealaska remains committed to advancing Indigenous self-determination, strengthening Native communities and protecting the lands and waters that sustain us. We believe these candidates will help move that work forward, and we encourage shareholders to stay informed, stay engaged and participate in the democratic process.

Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa, T’oyaxsut‘, Thank you