Nov 23, 2022 - Politics & Policy
Democrat Mary Peltola beats Sarah Palin in Alaska's at-large House race
Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) speaks to supporters at a watch party on Nov. 8 in Anchorage. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola quashed a challenge from former Gov. Sarah Palin (R) to win Alaska's at-large House seat, the state's Division of Elections announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Peltola made history earlier this year when she won the state's special election to represent Alaska's lone U.S. House seat, making her the first Alaska Native elected to Congress.
- She also became the first Democrat to represent the seat in nearly half a century, Axios' Andrew Solender notes.
- Peltola won in August to serve the rest of Republican Rep. Don Young's term after he died earlier this year. That term ends on Jan. 3.
- Peltola served in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009.
Zoom in: Election officials on Wednesday announced the results of the state's new ranked-choice voting system.
- For races in which no candidate earns 50% of the vote, the candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated.
- When a candidate is eliminated, their votes are reallocated to voters' second choice, per the state's division of elections.
Go deeper... Republicans narrowly capture House after Democrats held Senate