How second-choice votes pushed a Democrat to victory in Alaska

Democrat Mary Peltola was declared the winner of a special election to fill Alaska’s at-large U.S. House seat. She flipped the seat, formerly held by Rep. Don Young (R), who died earlier this year. She will now serve as Alaska’s congresswoman for the remainder of the term, until January, when the winner of the November general election takes office.

Former governor and Donald Trump endorsee Sarah Palin fell about 5,000 votes short after Republican Nick Begich III was eliminated and his supporters’ second-choice votes were redistributed. The election is the first test of the state’s new voting system — an all-party primary in which the top four advance to a ranked-choice general election.

Mary

Peltola

Nick

Begich III

Sarah

Palin

GOP

DEM

GOP

75,761 votes

40.2%

53,756

28.5%

58,945

31.2%

First

round

11,222

exhausted

votes

Final

round

91,206 51.5%

85,987 48.5%

Note: 47 ballots were not counted in the final round

because the same ranking was assigned to more

than one candidate.

Mary Peltola

Sarah Palin

Nick Begich III

DEM

GOP

GOP

75,761 votes 40.2%

53,756 28.5%

58,945 31.2%

First round

11,222

exhausted

votes

Final round

91,206 51.5%

85,987 48.5%

Note: 47 ballots were not counted in the final round because the same ranking was assigned to more

than one candidate.

 

Peltola advanced from the June special primary with just 10 percent of the vote, the last of the top four vote getters among nearly 50 candidates on the ballot. The third-place finisher, left-leaning independent Al Gross, dropped out shortly after the primary.

The results make Peltola the state’s first Alaska Native member of Congress. She also will be a rare Democrat to represent the state after Republican Young represented the state for 49 years.

Peltola, Palin and Begich all qualified for a November rematch.