GOP Challenger Unseats Dem Incumbent To Win Alaska’s Lone House Seat

Nick Begich, the GOP candidate for Alaska’s at-large House seat, has defeated incumbent Democratic Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola, according to The Associated Press.

The AP called the race late Wednesday night, projecting that Begich will win with 48.4% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 46.4% share. Peltola conceded the race on Wednesday night, telling supporters via social media that she is rooting for Begich to succeed in his new role.

Peltola entered Congress in 2022, when she won a special election following the death of Republican Alaska Rep. Don Young. Begich, meanwhile, is the grandson of former Republican Alaska Rep. Nick Begich, who represented Alaska in Congress until his death in a plane crash in 1972.

Several October polls sponsored by Begich and the National Republican Congressional Committee showed him leading Peltola by four or five percentage points, and Begich managed to win by a slightly smaller margin.

Begich and Peltola combined to raise about $13 million for the race, with Peltola raising five times as much as Begich, according to Alaska Public Media. Huge volumes of outside money have also poured into the Alaska race, with political committees and third-party groups spending about $28 million in total throughout the contest.

Begich’s victory is a major one for the GOP, which has worked to maintain or expand its slim House majority. Cook Political Report rated the race for Alaska’s lone House seat as a “toss-up” in advance of Election Day.