Republican Nick Begich Ousts Democrat Mary Peltola, Flipping Alaska’s Lone House Seat Back to GOP Control

Republican Nick Begich has defeated Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola to reclaim the state’s at-large congressional district for the GOP.

Decision Desk HQ has projected the win, bringing Republicans to a total of 220 seats in the House.

The victory is a significant blow to Democrats, who had celebrated Peltola’s unexpected triumph just two years ago when she flipped the reliably red district blue.

Nick Begich shared the exciting news in a post on X:

“The race for Alaska’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has now been called – Alaskans have spoken. It will be the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to serve as your voice in Congress.

The path forward begins with a unified understanding of what Alaska can do for the rest of our nation. 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 only a blessing for the people of our state – they are vital to the strength and independence of our entire nation.

We must work together – across our geographies and communities – to unlock Alaska’s potential and bring meaningful opportunity to every Alaskan. The challenges we have faced are real, but so is our resolve as we work to overcome them.

Whether Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, AIP, or Independent; whether on one side of an issue or another, thank you to the thousands of Alaskans who worked so hard to be involved in this election effort. The marketplace of ideas and the campaign process, as challenging as it can be, brings issues into focus and highlights areas where we need attention.

To that end, I hope you’ll send your comments and ideas to [email protected] as we move over the next several weeks toward the 119th Congress.

We will share more about the transition soon. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”

The race for Alaska’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has now been called – Alaskans have spoken. It will be the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to serve as your voice in Congress.

The path forward begins with a unified understanding of what Alaska can… pic.twitter.com/NkulNeQrU7

— Nick Begich (@NickforAlaska) November 16, 2024

Recall, Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola secured reelection to a full term in the House after defeating Sarah Palin in a special election held in August 2022 to replace the late Rep. Don Young.

Peltola became the first Democrat to win Alaska’s at-large House seat in 50 years, breaking a long-standing Republican stronghold in the state.

Her victory came in part due to Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system and widespread use of mail-in ballots, changes introduced through a referendum passed in 2020.

However, last August, the state Supreme Court decisively ruled in favor of allowing a measure aimed at repealing the controversial ranked-choice voting system to remain on the November ballot.

The ruling affirms that Alaskans will have the opportunity to reject this confusing system that has muddled the state’s electoral process and left many voters frustrated.

The repeal measure, which seeks to overturn the 2020 voter initiative that introduced ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska, will now give the state’s citizens the opportunity to restore a more straightforward and traditional voting system.

Under the current system, voters are required to rank candidates in order of preference, a process that has been criticized for being confusing and pushing voters to support candidates they do not truly back.