Democrat Mary Peltola Wins Us House Special Election Will Be First Alaska Native Elected To Congress

Democrat Mary Peltola was the clear winner of Alaska’s special U.S. House race and is set to become the first Alaskan in Congress after votes were tallied Wednesday in the state’s first ranked election. Peltola led Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin after the ballots were counted, and votes for Republican third-party candidate Nick Begich III were redistributed among his supporters’ second choices. Peltola, a former lawmaker from the Yup’ik state that calls Bethel home, is now slated to be the first woman to hold Alaska’s lone seat in the US House. If the results are upheld as expected by the state Board of Review later this week, he will succeed U.S. Rep. Don Young, the Republican who has held the office for nearly five decades — since before Peltola was born. The special election was sparked by Young’s death in March. It’s a result that’s largely seen as an upset. Peltola would be the first Democrat to join Alaska’s three-member congressional delegation since U.S. Sen. Mark Begich lost her re-election bid in 2014. And she defeated two Republicans to do so. Together, Palin and Nick Begich III, nephew of Mark Begich and grandson of former U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, garnered nearly 60 percent of the first-place vote. Begich was the first candidate to be eliminated after no other candidate topped the 50 percent threshold required to win under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system. The second-place votes of Begić’s supporters were then counted in what is called an instant runoff. Only half of Begich’s voters ranked Palin second — not enough to beat Peltola. Peltola had 39.7% of the first-place vote to Palin’s 30.9%. In the runoff, Peltola finished with 91,206 votes to Palin’s 85,987, or 51.47% to 48.53% Peltola ran a largely positive campaign as Begić and Palin traded barbs in the final weeks before the Aug. 16 special election, emerging the winner with a platform that highlighted her position as the only candidate on the ballot who supports access on abortion – an issue made important to voters by the recent US Supreme Court ruling that removes federal protections for access to the procedure (the procedure remains protected under the Alaska Constitution). Peltola also said she is “pro-fish” and emphasized her plans to protect subsistence fisheries in Alaska as salmon stocks dwindle in the area where she has fished all her life. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin speaks at a U.S. House candidate forum at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s annual conference at the Dena’ina Convention Center in Anchorage on August 31, 2022. (Marc Lester / ADN) Peltola is Yup’ik, grew up in rural villages and calls Bethel home. He served in the state House between 1999 and 2009, representing the Bethel district. During her time in the Legislature, she led the Bush Caucus, bringing together lawmakers representing off-road Alaska communities and building a reputation as someone who can work across party lines. While in the Legislature, Peltola’s career overlapped with Palin’s as governor. Both politicians were pregnant while in office. They exchanged friendly text messages on Election Day earlier this month. After leaving the state House, Peltola worked in community relations for Donlin Gold, a mining project on the Kuskokwim River. Before announcing her candidacy for Congress, she worked in fisheries management and rural food security as executive director of the Kuskokwim River Intertribal Fish Commission. Peltola, a mother of four and grandmother of two, turned 49 on Wednesday. Peltola emerged victorious from an initial field of 48 candidates in the primary race, which included several current and former lawmakers, Alaska Native leaders and Santa Claus. Peltola is now set to head to Washington for just four months, retaining the remainder of Young’s tenure. Peltola, Palin and Begić are set to advance to a November election that will determine who will hold the seat for the full two-year term that begins in January. Mary Peltola, right, answers a question during a U.S. House candidate forum at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s annual convention held at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage on Wednesday. (Marc Lester / ADN) Political observers say the outcome of the special election will shape the November race. After just a few weeks to prove her legislative mettle in Washington, Peltola will enter the November election as the incumbent, with the associated fundraising and visibility advantages. Republicans will likely mobilize to sharpen their messaging under the ranked-choice voting system — which was narrowly approved by voters through the 2020 ballot — and encourage supporters to rank both red candidates on the ballot. Palin, who ran with the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and spent part of her campaign in the Lower 48, has consistently attacked ranked-choice voting as a “heavyweight system” that “needs to change.” Begich had the support of many members of the Alaska Republican Party and attacked Palin for her decision to resign as governor in 2009. Palin responded by questioning Begich’s Republican bona fides by showing his support for his Democratic uncle’s campaigns in the Senate in 2008 and 2014. Polling before the election showed Palin to be a polarizing figure. three out of five Alaskans had an unfavorable view of her, according to more than one poll. But her fame, name recognition and leveraging of Republican oil-field messaging propelled Palin ahead of Begitz, who was running his first statewide campaign for public office after building a career in private business. Some ballots from rural communities remain uncounted as of Wednesday. They will be counted when they arrive at the Division of Elections Juneau office, spokeswoman Tiffany Montemayor said. The Alaska Board of Elections is scheduled to certify results Friday, but that could be delayed if rural precinct ballots remain uncounted. “Those districts not getting there in time for the board to certify is something we’ll have to deal with if that happens,” Montemayor said via email. A candidate or group of voters may request a recount up to five days after the results have been validated. A lawsuit challenging the results can be filed up to 10 days after certification. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. • • • Related stories: Results in Alaska’s special U.S. House race were revealed Wednesday after the candidates are set to share a stage With a 4-month term, a race awaits the next member of the US House in Alaska Alaskans have been waiting 2 weeks for the results from our first ranked choice vote. Maine’s top election official says there’s reason to stop. Chris Bye will likely advance to the November US House election in Alaska. But he doesn’t cancel his fishing trips. • • •

title: “Democrat Mary Peltola Wins Us House Special Election Will Be First Alaska Native Elected To Congress Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-22” author: “Sandra Prescott”

title: “Democrat Mary Peltola Wins Us House Special Election Will Be First Alaska Native Elected To Congress Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-07” author: “Daniel Rogers”

title: “Democrat Mary Peltola Wins Us House Special Election Will Be First Alaska Native Elected To Congress Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-08” author: “Julie Blessing”