All eyes are focused on Alaska’s Special General Election to fill the remaining term of the late Congressman Don Young, which ends January 2023. The Alaska Division of Elections reports that August 31 is the date for review of the Special General Election race to determine if any candidate received 50% + 1 vote. If not, ranked choice tabulation begins. September 2 is the target date for the State Review Board to certify the election.
As it stands, neither of the three candidates in the race have 50% of the vote and are hoping that the ranked choice tabulation plays in their favor. Those three candidates are Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, who has 38% of the vote so far, Republican Sarah Palin, who has about 32% of the vote, and Republican Nick Begich, who has about 29% of the vote. Until we find out more information from the Division of Elections on August 31, the candidates have been hitting the campaign trail for the regular general election race when that’s determined by Ranked Choice Voting in November.
Peltola spoke with KSRM on her support:
“I feel like Alaskans, like most Americans, are tired of the negativity and partisan divide in D.C. and I think one of the reasons my message is resonating with voters is because they know I have a long history of bipartisanship and working across party lines and there’s more that unites us as Alaskans than divides us and it’s really time that we stop focusing on what’s right for Republicans or Democrats and be focused on what’s right for Alaskans and Americans.”
Begich, who recently appeared on KSRM’s ‘Sound Off’, discussed why he came behind Peltola and Palin:
“Well, you know, look, at the end of the day, it’s about getting the message out. there’s a lot of folks out there, they’re living their daily lives. They’re out working. Name idea is a powerful force.
He was asked if his last name is working against him:
“I think there’s an element of that, I do, and that’s something that we have tried to address for the entire campaign.”
Palin hasn’t addressed the election results so far but has come out strongly against Ranked Choice Voting.
The next scheduled results update for the Alaska Division of Elections is August 23.