Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom withdrew from the state’s House race Friday after she came in third place in the primary this week, leaving Nick Begich as the leading GOP candidate to take on Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK).
“I entered this race because Alaskans deserve better representation than what we have received from Mary Peltola in Washington,” Dahlstrom said in a statement. “At this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal realized is to withdraw my name from the general election ballot and end my campaign.”
Thank you to the people of our incredible state for believing in me and standing with me. I’m so grateful to be an Alaskan and will continue to fight for our great state. pic.twitter.com/co9XrtoaIn
— Nancy Dahlstrom (@nancyforalaska) August 23, 2024
Begich had pledged to withdraw from the race if he came in behind Dahlstrom, but the lieutenant governor, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, did not make a similar pledge.
Begich will take on Peltola and two other candidates in the general election in November, as the top four vote-getters in the ranked-choice primary advance to November. Peltola defeated Begich in the special and general elections in 2022.
Ranked choice voting is a vote-by-preference system in which voters select their first through fourth choices. If a candidate receives 50% or more of first-choice votes in the initial count, they win. If not, the votes will be reallocated based on those eliminated. This voting process was one of the factors that helped Peltola flip Alaska’s lone House seat Democratic for the first time in 50 years.
In 2022, Republicans failed to consolidate behind one candidate, either Begich or former Gov. Sarah Palin, and both candidates resorted to attacking one another. Dahlstrom and Begich had pledged to go after the former Democrat instead of each other this cycle.
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Peltola holds a significant fundraising advantage over Begich, with $2.8 million in cash on hand as of July 31 compared to Begich’s $172,548. The congresswoman has raised over $7.5 million compared to Begich’s $983,000.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Peltola and Begich for comment.