Peltola, Begich question each other over cryptocurrency, country’s political climate during U.S. House Debate

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – With the economy the top issue on many Alaska voters minds headed into the Nov. 5 election, incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, and her Republican challenger, Nick Begich, questioned each other over digital money’s role in the economy and the nation’s political climate potentially impacting government funding during the hour-long Alaska’s News Source-Alaska Public Media “Debate For the State.”

Cryptocurrency’s Role In The Economy

Historically, Peltola’s economic message has focused on worker wages, rights and protecting union members. However, when Begich’s time to question Peltola came about 40 minutes into the debate, he turned instead to cryptocurrency.

“Can you explain to Alaskans what is cryptocurrency, and how does it work,” Begich asked after accusing Pelota of accepting $2 million in campaign finances from cryptocurrency political action committee, or PAC, called Fairshake.

Never addressing the Fairshake donation, Peltola instead said she was “not an expert” on cryptocurrency, echoing her earlier debate position she supported crypto’s economic role in terms of believing in innovative currency alternatives, such as money transferring apps to quickly buy and sell goods, instead of having to use dollar bills and checks.

“I think that one of the most exciting things that we are seeing in our country is the innovation around this kind of currency,” Pelota said. “And I want to see. And I want to learn more about it [crypto], of course. But I want to see where this goes. I think, like you said, you support it. And I just think it’s good to embrace innovation. Whenever Americans are being innovative.”

“I wanted to show Alaska, look, this is how people buy votes in Congress,” Begich responded. “This is what they do. They fund a candidate. They know they can. They can for their specific pieces of legislation, whether they know anything about it or not.”

Cryptocurrency has been a key part of the Republican’s economic campaign messaging.

Earlier in the night, when co-moderator Rebecca Palsha asked Begich to define what specific role cryptocurrency should play in the U.S. economy, the business owner, whose campaigned on digital money potentially protecting what he calls “America’s financial sovereignty,“ said it could provide an important contingency for Congress’s lack of spending discipline, which he said had led to inflation.

“It’s important to have a backup plan,” Begich said. “I think the cryptocurrency can provide that. It’s a suite of innovative technologies that I’m excited about. And I think offers a great alternative in the long run, should Congress continue to abuse the dollar."

Political Climate

Referring to the country’s fractured political climate, Peltola’s question focused on Begich being only one of eight candidates the House Freedom Caucus, made up of the House’s most conservative members and strongest supporters of former President Trump’s political agenda, had invested in.

“Do you think Alaskans want someone who will spend their time in D.C. engaged in Twitter fights, and voting out speaker after speaker,” Peltola asked.

“I am not an obstructionist,” Begich responded.

“I think what we need to do is make sure that government is staying in its lane. Doing what it’s supposed to do. Constitutionally, that it’s balancing budgets. That it’s protecting the American people. And that it’s putting the needs of the American people first,” Begich added, after referencing inflation, people leaving Alaska, and dozens of Biden administration executive orders.

“And when it’s not doing that, it’s incumbent on people to stand up, who’ve been elected to represent Americans from across the country, and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t working.’ And that’s what I’m going to do for Alaska,” Begich said, as Peltola could be seen shaking her head ‘no.’

“I would not categorize the Freedom Caucus as working to stabilize government or keep it funded,” Peltola responded. “Every time I turn around there, we’re on the precipice of a federal government shutdown. Which really affects everything.”

Earlier in the night, Begich was asked about Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, declining to answer if Trump lost the 2020 election.

“I believe Joe Biden won the election because he’s the president today, but what we have to look away is all the things that were required in order for him to do that. We saw a great deal of censorship in their search results on social media, suppressing free speech in our nation. These are the things that happened behind the scenes,” Begich said.

Peltola was asked why she had not openly endorsed Democratic Presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

“I don’t see the world through a partisan lens. I see the world as an Alaskan, and I am constantly thinking about what is best for Alaska, what is best for the Alaskan people and that, and if it’s our economy, if it’s regarding guns, I’m happy to vote against my party. I think that endorsing either of the presidential candidates is, you know, I think a lot of people would say, why would you endorse if you plan on working with either of them, whoever is elected,” Peltola said.

Climate Change’s Impact On Homeowners Insurance

The debate, which was held one day after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, started with the context of climate change impacting homeowners’ ability nationwide, including in Alaska, to keep affordable insurance rates and coverage, as co-moderator Lori Townsend asked Peltola and Begich what role Congress could play.

“It’s very important we lower the barriers to competition in the insurance market,” Begich said. “If we do that we’ll have lower rates for insurance consumers.”

Pelotla, referencing a series of Southeast Alaska natural disasters, including flooding and landslides, did not directly address a specific homeowners insurance solution, as she said FEMA is only funded to handle 16 natural disasters per year.

“We have got to make sure our homes in Alaska are able to get coverage for flood insurance, landslide insurance, and earthquake insurance. And money for all disasters,” Peltola said.

Funding Foreign Wars & Conflicts

With some of the biggest international issues currently facing Congress, including the Israel-Hamas war growing into a regional Middle East crisis, and the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war showing no signs of ending, the candidates had mixed answers on how they would vote to fund continued support for Israel and Ukraine.

Saying, in her view, it was important to continue supporting Ukraine because they were fighting “our war,” the representative was unclear on Israel, not mentioning the country by name as she answered the question.

“The conflict in Palestine and in Gaza is terrible. It’s a real humanitarian crisis. And as a mother of seven, as a grandmother of two, of course, I want peace and prosperity everywhere. I think that it’s really important that we continue to provide humanitarian relief wherever we can,“ Peltola said.

Begich’s answers took a reverse position, saying while the U.S. should continue supporting Israel to “stamp out” terrorism, he could not say the same about Ukraine.

“They’ve [Israel’s] been a strong supporter of ours, and they are a counterweight to terrorism in that region of the world,” Begich said. “If we don’t confront terrorism there, terrorism will confront us here.”

“I’ve heard from people in the fishing industry in our state. Fishing families that have been relying on disaster relief payments. Waiting up to six years for those payments to be received,” Begich went onto say. “We accelerated $200 billion for aid to Ukraine. But we are not accelerating the needs of Americans. I want to make sure that we’re putting the needs of Americans first, that we’re not putting other people’s wars on our national credit card.”

Abortion Rights

With attempts in Congress to codify Roe v. Wade, after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the decision in 2022, abortion rights have turned into one of this election’s biggest issues. The candidates were asked if they would support a federal ban on or a guarantee for right to abortion.

While Begich said he would not support a national abortion ban, and believes states should decide restrictions, Pelota echoed one of her earliest campaign pledges to not support a federal ban, believing state governments never have the right to tell women what to do with their bodies.

“I trust women and I trust their doctors,” Peltola said. “I don’t think politicians have any business being in this discussion. Anti-choice extremists are committed to making sure that there is a majority in Congress who will end abortion across our nation, and nobody wants that. Nobody wants abortion. It should be safe, legal and rare”

“I don’t think that people in Alaska want folks in DC deciding this issue,” Begich said. “They’re thousands of miles away from us. We can make our own decisions here in the state of Alaska, and when we do, we do a great job of making those decisions.”

Gun Control

Responding to a high school student’s school shootings and safety question during the debate, Begich said he does not support more background checks or what are known as Red Flag Laws, which allow a state court to order the temporary seizure of firearms from a person who they believe may present a danger.

“I don’t think we need to create databases of people who own firearms in our nation. I think that’s a big mistake,” Begich said. “I think that that is the slippery slope that leads ultimately to the erosion of our Second Amendment rights.”

Peltola, however, said she thinks some work needs to be done to strengthen gun laws.

“Many of the perpetrators who have executed, these terrible executions, there have been warning signs, and those warning signs were ignored. I think that we need to look at all of the ways that we can protect our community, and we need to have trust and a discussion among all user groups, but there has to be trust,” Peltoal said.

Immigration Reform

On immigration, Begich, who is endorsed by former President Trump, said he would not have supported the bi-partisan immigration bill that later died in Congress after Trump told lawmakers he did not want to see it pass.

“That particular bill would have dramatically increased the number of border agents and turned them into immigration officials in which we’re continuing to bring these people in from foreign nations. Upwards of 20 million people are in our nation illegally right now. That is unacceptable. These people are receiving free health care, free medical attention, free housing, free transportation, free education, and it’s not free. We’re paying for it,” Begich said.

Responding to Begich’s claim Peltola is soft on immigration, Peltola did not answer the question, instead saying she voted for several bills that call for tougher enforcement.

“I voted yes on condemning the President [Biden] for his handling of the border. But I think that this issue handled by both parties. It is now being used as a political football. It should not be used as a football, especially when we have things like fentanyl coming
across the border,” Peltola said.

Note: The race’s other two candidates Alaska Independence Party’s John Wayne Howe and New York federal prisoner Eric Hafner, did not qualify for the debate because they received less than 5% of the primary vote.

The debate features incumbent Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola — who was first elected to the seat in 2022 following the death of Alaska’s longtime Congressman Don Young — and her closest challenger Republican Nick Begich.

The debate can be livestreamed above.

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