Joaqlin Estus
ICT
On Wednesday Alaskans will find out the results of a special election to fill the remaining months of the late Congressman Don Young’s term of office. No one won a majority of votes in the first count of ranked choice votes. So the lowest vote-getter will be dropped and their second choice votes will be added to the first choice votes.
It’s like a run-off election but with just one ballot.
As of Aug. 30, Democrat Mary Peltola, Yup’ik, is in the lead with 39.64 percent of the vote. Republicans took second and third place. Sarah Palin has 30.94 percent of the vote. Nick Begich is in third with 27.84 percent of the vote.
Opinion poll analyst Sarah Frostenson, with Fivethirtyeight, predicted on Aug. 17 that if Begich took third place, “his support might be split between Palin and Democratic former state Rep. Mary Peltola, who is currently in the lead, possibly helping Peltola win.”
If she does win, former state lawmaker Mary Peltola will be the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress.
Whichever candidate wins in the special election presumably will have a leg up to win the full U.S. House term of office that starts in January. In the primary of that contest, Peltola won 36.81 percent; former governor Palin took 30.21 percent and businessman Begich won 26.18 percent of the votes cast. The fourth spot was won by former Interior assistant secretary Tara Sweeney, Inupiaq, with 3.75 percent of the vote. She has withdrawn from the race, however, so Libertarian and fishing guide Chris Bye will be in the fourth slot. He took .62 percent of the vote.
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