Eleven days after election day, Nick Begich claimed victory over incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola in a closely contested battle for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House.
On Nov. 16, Begich released a statement noting that the nationally respected election analysis group Decision Desk HQ had called the race in his favor.
“This victory belongs to the people of Alaska,” Begich said. “Our state has immense potential, and now is the time to responsibly unlock the resources that make Alaska a cornerstone of America’s path to prosperity.”
Begich currently enjoys a slight lead in his bid to unseat Peltola, but there are still several thousand more votes to be tallied. As of Nov. 18, Begich is ahead 48.72% to 46.1%, but the Division of Elections will continue to count incoming mail-in ballots until Nov. 20, so long as they were postmarked by Nov. 5.
It is all but certain the race will be decided by ranked-choice runoff since neither candidate is likely to earn more than 50% of the vote. The runoff, however, should favor Begich when the second-choice place votes from Democrat candidate Eric Hafner and Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe are tallied. Hafner has about 1% of the overall vote. Even if all his second-place votes favored Peltola, that would only give her 47% of the overall vote. Howe’s second place votes, however, should strongly favor Begich given that the AIP is a more conservative-minded party. Since Howe won about 4% of the vote, Begich would only need to win half of those second-place rankings in order to win the election.
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In his Nov. 16 statement, Begich said he looks forward to advancing policies that respect Alaska’s unique heritage, prioritize responsible development, and ensure lasting opportunities for future generations.
“Our path forward starts with a unified understanding of what Alaska can do for our nation,” Begich said. “Together, we will deliver results for Alaska, creating long-term jobs, protecting our way of life, and playing our part to put America back on track. Alaska’s resources are not just a blessing for the people of our state – they are vital to the strength and independence of our entire nation.”
Begich emphasized his commitment to being a voice for all Alaskans, working to strengthen the state’s economy, support families, and lead on issues of national importance.
2 Comments
Mary’s biggest problem was, she forgot about the Republicans in the state of Alaska. In the position she was in you can’t just wear blinders and help only one side. You are a state representative and you need to help all the people! Mary lost site of that one very important thing being in that seat. Mary was great if you were a Democrat but Republicans suffered and now have spoken and removed her. Maybe in time as always people will forget and she can run again. Remember Senator Steven’s? he should have been run out of Alaska but because of who his dad was got backseat out to Kodiak for a few years as people forgot who or what he did and now he’s where in Juneau? It was shocking the corruption in this state anymore!
Actually, she wasn’t much good for most rural/bush dwellers either, and they mostly vote “D”. Her policies were detrimental to Alaska’s economy; for instance, she was party to higher energy prices which hurt everyone in the state. Amazingly enough, even Bethel didn’t turn out for her.