On 10 September 2008, CBC North reported that Sheutiapik would be taking a leave of absence to run in the Nunavut election.
[3][4] She ran in Iqaluit West, which had the highest voter turnout at 90.2 per cent, but was defeated by incumbent MLA Paul Okalik by 44 votes.
[10] In the 2017 Nunavut territorial election, Sheutiapik again faced off against Okalik in the riding of Iqaluit-Sinaa.
[2] Sheutiapik, whose sister Mary Ann was murdered by an abusive relative in 1997, has collaborated with Iqaluit-based rock singer Lucie Idlout on a national project to have cities across Canada name a city street "Angel" as a memorial to Canadian victims of domestic violence.
[11] As of 2014, cities that have named Angel Streets as part of the campaign included St. John's, Edmonton, Regina, Fredericton, Yellowknife and Kamloops.