Finally: Decision Desk headquarters is expected to announce the winner of the general election for the House of Representatives in Alaska Republican Nick Begich III wins. As of this writing, the vote total is 152,545 votes for Begich and 143,370 for Democrat Mary Peltola.
Decision Desk HQ predicts Nick Begich (R) will win the US House election in Alaska’s congressional district.#DecisionMade: 10:54 a.m. ET
Follow the live results here: https://t.co/XJB5RznQx7 pic.twitter.com/NrFqdFCv9h
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 16, 2024
Congressman-elect Begich comes from an venerable Alaskan political family. His grandfather, Nicholas Joseph Begich Sr., held the Alaska House of Representatives seat as a Democrat in 1971 and 1972 until he disappeared during a night flight from Anchorage to Juneau; The plane and passengers were never found, and the senior Begich was declared dead in absentia in December 1972. Republican Don Young replaced the senior Begich in the House at-large seat and held it until his death, when he was replaced by Democrat Mary Peltola. Now another Begich will hold that seat – this time a conservative Republican.
On Wednesday, the Alaska news site published Must Read Alaska The race for Nick Begich III was called based on a data dump of ranked choice voting.
With potentially 20,000 more votes left to count, Peltola would have to win by a margin of over 10,000 votes to overcome Begich’s lead. That’s not what the trends suggest; Instead, they show Begich ousting Peltola in Congress.
Ballots counted Tuesday include a mix of absentee, early voting and polled ballots.
The elections department will have the final say, however, as this privately conducted analysis of the raw data may contain errors. The department released the raw data to the public after Must Read Alaska filed a public records request. The division will not conduct its analysis and announce the final winner until November 20th. This makes Alaska the last state in the country to report results.
Interestingly, Begich’s opponent in the 1970 House election was Republican Frank Murkowski, who was later elected senator and then governor. At this point, he awarded the then vacant Senate seat like a feudal title to his daughter Lisa Murkowski, who still holds this seat today.
Politics in Alaska can be a bit strange at times. We are largely a red state, but the state capital of Juneau is dominated by Democrats, while the cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks are Democratic-leaning. The heavily Republican Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which includes the towns of Palmer and Wasilla, and the conservative but sparsely populated east-central part of the state, which includes the towns of Tok and Delta Junction, serve as a counterweight. However, Alaska’s political right has a robust libertarian streak. Alaskans are the kind of people who prefer to mind their own business and leave me alone.
Last January, I spoke with Nick Begich III about his congressional ambitions, his family’s political background and his unwavering support for President-elect Donald Trump.
See related: Interview: Alaska’s Nick Begich III – About Alaska, the house and our path forward
While Democrat Mary Peltola won the special House election and her first full term under ranked-choice voting, she became increasingly identified with the far left of the Democratic Party, which may have contributed to her defeat. If the call to Decision Desk HQ is correct, then Mary Peltola has our best wishes; May she return to her home in Bethel and live a long, content life with her family – and away from politics.
Personally, as an Alaska resident and a conservative with a robust libertarian streak, I would be content to see Alaska through Nick Begich III. to be represented in the House of Representatives.
See related: Alaska’s Mary Peltola Joins the Radical Left Movement MoveOn.org: See What Your Local Politicians Are Up to!
In other news, Alaska’s Ballot Measure 2, repeal of the ranked-choice voting system, is currently narrowly ahead, with 152,915 yes votes (a yes vote is a vote to repeal and return to customary closed primaries) to 151,239 no votes. We will bring you the news when this vote is finally decided.
