For Alaska’s sole House seat, republican Nick Begich III, a member of the state’s well-known liberal family, defeated Representative Mary Peltola. Begich’s victory, declared on wednesday, was a significant triumph for Republicans hoping to increase their slim House majority.
After losing to Peltola in 2022 due to split Republican votes in Alaska’s ranked-choice system, Begich’s victory represents a political comeback. Republicans supported Begich this year, avoiding the vote splitting that had previously cost them the seat.
A combined Republican vote made possible by former Governor Sarah Palin’s withdrawal from the race helped propel Begich to victory. The first Alaska native elected to Congress, Mary Peltola, ran on a platform of working-class appeal and particular answers to Alaska’s problems.
After Alaska’s longest-serving House Republican representative, Don Young, passed away in 2022, Peltola won the seat in a special election. Before Peltola, Begich’s grandfather was the last Democrat to hold the seat.
Begich’s first congressional campaign caused controversy when he faced Young in a primary just before Young passed away at 88. Some former Young aides sided with Peltola after critics accused Begich of betraying the party. But in 2023, Begich’s route to win was cemented when Alaska Republicans united behind him.
Begich intends to make federal expenditure reduction a top priority as a member of the House. This topic is controversial in Alaska, where about half of the state budget is funded by federal grants.
Since more than 16,000 Alaskans work for the U.S. government, his budgetary strategy requires careful balancing. Nick Begich defeated Mary Peltola highlighting the importance of party unity and well-planned campaigns and marks the return of Republican rule in Alaska.
