James F. 'Pete' Petersen is a Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 member of the Alaska House of Representatives

Alaska House of Representatives

The Alaska House of Representatives is the lower house in the Alaska Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Alaska. The House is composed of 40 members, each of whom represents a district of about 15,673 people . Members serve two-year terms without term limits...

, representing the 19th District in Northeast Anchorage since 2009. Petersen's most high profile legislation were bills to prohibit price gouging

Price gouging

Price gouging is a pejorative term referring to a situation in which a seller prices goods or commodities much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. In precise, legal usage, it is the name of a crime that applies in some of the United States during civil emergencies...

 by Alaska oil refineries

Oil refinery

An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...

, and to require health insurance policies to cover treatment for Autism

Autism

Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...

.

Background

Pete Petersen was born in Wyoming, Iowa

Wyoming, Iowa

Wyoming is a city in Jones County, Iowa, United States. The population was 626 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Cedar Rapids Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wyoming is located at ....

 and grew up on a family farm in rural Iowa. He has lived in Anchorage

Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...

 1981 and owned and operated a pizza

Pizza

Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...

 and sandwich

Sandwich

A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...

 delivery restaurant in Anchorage for over 15 years. Petersen is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa

University of Northern Iowa

The University of Northern Iowa is a college located in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. UNI offers more than 120 majors across the colleges of Business Administration, Education, Humanities and Fine Arts, Natural Sciences, and Social and Behavioral sciences, and graduate college.UNI has...

 and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...

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Legislative career

Petersen was elected to the State House in November 2008 defeating Republican incumbent Bob Roses

Bob Roses

John Robert "Bob" Roses is a retired educator, businessman and Republican politician in the U.S. state of Alaska. He served a single term as a member of the Alaska House of Representatives, representing the 19th District in northeast Anchorage from 2007 to 2009. Roses was defeated for reelection...

 by 235 votes. In the 26th Alaska State Legislature

26th Alaska State Legislature

The 26th Alaska State Legislature was elected in November 2008.-Sessions:* First session: January 20, 2009–May 19, 2009* Special session: August 10, 2009* Second session: January 19, 2010–April 18, 2010...

he served on the House Energy, State Affairs, and Transportation Committees as well as the Finance Subcommittees for the Departments of Education and Early Development and Environmental Conservation.

See also

Official Legislative site

Official Campaign Website