Topline
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) lost to Democrat Mary Peltola in a special election to fill the state’s vacant House seat, Alaska officials announced Wednesday, more than two weeks after polls closed—thwarting Palin’s plans for a political comeback, at least for now.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) will face Democrat Mary Peltola again in November to decide who … [+]
Key Facts
Peltola won 51.47% of the vote for Alaska’s lone House seat, over Palin’s 48.53%, sending Peltola to serve out the remainder of longtime Republican Rep. Don Young’s term following his death in March.
Palin and Peltola, as well as Republican Nick Begich III, will all be on the ballot in the general election in November to determine who is elected to the two-year House term—the three candidates advanced in the primary election earlier this month to earn a spot on the ballot in the general election.
The final vote tally was released 15 days after the special election because none of the candidates received an outright majority in the state’s ranked-choice voting system (the final vote includes the second choices from ballots that picked candidates with the fewest votes in the August 16 election and adds them to the vote count for the top two candidates).
Key Background
Palin, who came into the national spotlight in 2008 as longtime Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain’s running mate in the presidential election, launched her campaign for Alaska’s House seat in April, two weeks after Young’s death, on an anti-establishment, pro-Trump platform attacking the “radical left” for rising inflation and illegal immigration. Former President Donald Trump endorsed her two days later, calling her a “wonderful patriot”—Palin was one of Trump’s loudest supporters during his presidency. Palin resigned as Alaska’s governor in 2009, months after McCain lost to former President Barack Obama, amid a flurry of ethics complaints she dismissed as “frivolous” attacks by her political opponents.
Surprising Fact
If Peltola, a former state legislator, wins the November election, she would become the first Alaska Native elected to Congress–her mother is a member of the Yup’ik people. If Begich, a tech entrepreneur, wins, he would be Alaska’s first Democrat in the House since his grandfather, also named Nick Begich, briefly held the position in 1972. The older Begich went missing in a plane crash one year into his term and was replaced by Young, who held the seat for 49 years.
Further Reading
Sarah Palin Advances To General Election After Leading Alaska House Primary (Forbes)
Trump-Backed Sarah Palin Advances In Alaska House Race (Forbes)
Alaska to release results of special election with Palin and Peltola locked in close race (Washington Post)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2022/08/31/sarah-palin-loses-in-special-alaska-house-race-but-is-back-on-ballot-in-november/