Republican Nick Begich defeated Democratic Representative Mary Peltola in Alaska's U.S. House race, winning the seat once held by his grandfather.
Mr. Begich was one of Mr. Peltola's defeated opponents in the 2022 special and regular elections following the death of Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young. Mr. Young held the seat for 49 years.
Mr. Peltola is the first Yup'ik man from Alaska to serve in Congress.
Republicans, hoping to maintain their majority in the House of Representatives, worked hard to win back seats.
Wednesday was the deadline for election officials to receive mailed ballots from overseas for the Nov. 5 election, as well as the day votes will be counted for the ranked election. State officials had set November 30 as the certification date for the general election.
Begich said in a statement on social media that Alaska has great potential, “but many challenges remain before Alaskans can fully realize that potential. We are committed to fighting for our economy, protecting our unique way of life, and making sure our voices are heard loud and clear in Washington.”
He also thanked Ms. Peltola for her service to our nation and nation in an extremely difficult role during an extremely difficult time in our nation's history.
Peltola said it has been “the honor of my life” to serve the people of Alaska as a member of the state's three-person congressional delegation.
“Nick, I'm rooting for you,” she said. “Even though people in Washington, D.C. keep saying you're one of three, in reality you're one of more than 700,000 Alaskans, including me, who are ready to fight for our state. Don’t forget that you are human.”
Mr. Begich comes from a family of Democratic politicians, and his grandfather, the late U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, served in the House of Representatives before Mr. Young.
One of his uncles, Mark, was a U.S. senator and another uncle, Tom, was a state senator. Begich said he has been a lifelong Republican.
Begic went All-in in preparation In the August primary, he said he would withdraw from the race if he finished behind other Republicans. He said he sees this as a way to increase interest in the open primary, where the top four vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to the ranked-choice general election. For some, the primary felt almost anti-climatic.
Mr. Peltola, Mr. Begich and Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom were the strongest candidates among the 12 who participated in the primary.
Dahlstrom boasted support from President-elect Donald Trump and the House leadership.
Dahlstrom, who finished third in the primary behind Peltola and Begich, dropped out of the race like the fourth-place finisher under pressure from Republicans to stand behind Begich.
That leaves Alaska Independence Party primary candidate John Wayne Howe and Eric Hafner, a Democrat with no apparent connection to Alaska, who is serving a 20-year sentence for threatening authorities. It is now possible to include the people who placed 5th and 6th place on the ballot. and others in New Jersey.
The Alaska Democratic Party filed a lawsuit seeking to disqualify Hafner, but lost.
President Trump had blamed Begich for the Republican Party losing seats in the 2022 race, which included 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, but after Dahlstrom withdrew. expressed support for Begic. In a phone call with Begich in October, Trump called Peltola's election a “fluke.”
“Nick Begich will be a great fighter in Congress and will work closely with me to serve the people of Alaska,” Trump said.
Mr. Begich, the founder of a software development company, was a vocal supporter of Mr. Trump and slammed Mr. Peltola for refusing to endorse the candidate in the presidential race.
“Some candidates in this race don't want to tell Alaskans who they support for president, but Alaskans have a right to transparency from their representatives in Congress. “We deserve to know whether we're going to work with people who have a pro-Alaska agenda or whether we're going to work with people who want to shut down the state,” he said in September.
Although Mr. Begic and Mr. Peltola shared common ground on some energy issues, Mr. Begic sought to accuse Mr. Peltola of being ineffective in blocking the Biden administration's actions that would limit resource development.
Trump led the state on the same general election ballot, where voters were asked whether to abolish the open primary and ranked-choice general election system they approved just four years ago. This system was first used in 2022.
Begich supported the repeal effort. The race remained uncalled Wednesday night pending certification and a possible recount request.
