Democrat Mary Peltola speaks at the Congressional Forum on May 12 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Mark Thiessen/AP
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Mark Thiessen/AP
Democrat Mary Peltola speaks at the Congressional Forum on May 12 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Mark Thiessen/AP
Democrat Mary Peltra will represent Alaska’s only U.S. House of Representatives seat after winning Wednesday’s special election determined by a vote tally of ranked choices. She will become the first Alaska Native in Congress. .
In the final round of counting, former state legislator Peltra edged former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin by three points, 51.5% to 48.5%.
This is how the candidates finished after the first ballot.
Pertola’s victory denies Palin, a controversial ally of former President Donald Trump, an immediate return to the domestic political arena.
Alaska’s special election took place earlier this month, but it took until Wednesday to tally all mail-in ballots and calculate the winner in the state’s new Ranked Choice voting system.
As Republican Nick Begich III came in third in the election, voters who had nominated him first (or nominated another candidate) reassigned their ballots to the second candidate.
The special election was to replace Rep. Don Young, who died earlier this year at the age of 88. Peltola expires her term, after which she, Palin and Begich face off again in her November for her next two-year term.
Both Peltola and Palin served as state legislators.
Palin uttered sharp words against fellow Republican supporter Begich, but refrained from attacking Pertola during the campaign, calling her his sweetheart. Peltra didn’t speak ill of Palin either, telling NPR:
US House of Representatives candidate Sarah Palin speaks on stage at a Save America rally in front of former President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, July 9.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
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US House of Representatives candidate Sarah Palin speaks on stage at a Save America rally in front of former President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, July 9.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
With a report from Liz Ruskin of Alaska Public Media.
