Republican Nick Begich ousted incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK) on Wednesday, a victory two weeks after Election Day that will help the GOP pad its narrow House majority.
The Associated Press called the race for Begich shortly after 9 p.m. EST, with 95% of the vote counted. Begich received 48.4% to Peltola’s 46.4% at the time the race was called. Independent John Wayne Howe and Democrat Eric Hafner received 3.9% and 1%, respectively.
After two unsuccessful bids for the seat, Alaska’s ranked choice voting system yielded a result in Begich’s favor. Under the voting method, voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing a single candidate. If no candidate receives 50% in the first round, votes are reallocated as candidates with the fewest first-choice votes are eliminated.
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Ranked choice voting last cycle split the vote between Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin. That, combined with Peltola’s appeal to independents and conservative voters, allowed the now-ousted congresswoman to win both the special and general 2022 elections.
This story is breaking and will be updated.