Peltola holds wide lead in early primary results for U.S. House, with Begich second over Dahlstrom

Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola was in the lead after early results were reported in Alaska’s primary election.

Peltola had just over 50% of votes in a congressional race that featured a dozen candidates, with 387 out of 403 precincts reporting by early Wednesday morning.

In second place was Republican businessman Nick Begich III with 27% of the vote. Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom was in third with 20% of the vote.

Sitting in fourth place was Republican Matthew Salisbury, who received 0.6% of the vote.

The top four vote-getters in Alaska’s primary advance to the November election. Both Begich and Dahlstrom mounted high-profile campaigns to unseat Peltola in what is seen as one of the handful of congressional swing seats across the country that could determine the majority of the U.S. House in November.

Alaska political consultants say primary voters are typically more partisan than those in a general election, meaning Tuesday’s results may not be an indicator of electoral results in November.

Begich lost twice to Peltola in 2022, coming in behind Republican former Gov. Sarah Palin. He vowed ahead of the primary election that he would drop out of the race if he was not the top-performing Republican in the primary. But after early results came in, Begich was in a jubilant mood at a campaign event in Wasilla.

“We’re feeling very good right now that folks on the right side of the aisle are supportive of my campaign and I’m looking forward to moving ahead to November,” Begich said.

Begich added that it was important for Republicans to unify behind a single candidate moving forward. But Dahlstrom doubled down on her intention to remain in the race following Tuesday’s early results, leaning heavily on endorsements from former President Donald Trump, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

“From day one, this campaign has been about defeating Mary Peltola in November,” Dahlstrom said in a written statement.

Salisbury is a Palmer resident who refers to himself as a “split ticket voter.” His campaign website, with the slogan “join the moose,” lays out a platform of outlawing bottom trawling, ending corporate homeownership, and funding Social Security.

Primary election night results will include ballots cast in-person on Tuesday. First results were posted around 9 p.m. State election officials said results would continue to be released throughout the night.

Ballots cast at “early vote locations” will be counted on Tuesday, along with absentee ballots that arrived at the Division of Elections by Thursday. By-mail ballots that arrived later than Thursday will be reviewed and will start being counted in seven days, state election officials said.

The Division of Elections issued just under 13,000 by-mail ballots. By Sunday, the division had received just under 6,000 of those ballots. By-mail ballots will be counted as long as they reach the division within 10 days of election day.

All 40 seats in the Alaska House of Representatives were on the primary election ballot, alongside half of the 20 seats in the Alaska Senate. Nine incumbent state legislators are running unopposed.

Forty-eight of 50 legislative races had four or fewer candidates in the primary election, meaning every candidate in those races can advance to November’s general election. Still, Alaska political consultants say that a strong showing in the primary can be critical in boosting name recognition and securing fundraising for the Nov. 5 general election.

Two legislative races had four or more primary candidates: A five-way race for an Eagle River Senate seat and a six-way race for a vacant House seat that stretches across much of the Interior.

With 13 out of 13 precincts reporting results, Republican Eagle River incumbent Sen. Kelly Merrick was narrowly ahead had with just under 34% of the vote. GOP newcomer Jared Goecker was 0.69% behind. Former GOP Reps. Sharon Jackson and Ken McCarty had 7% and 11% respectively. Democrat Lee Hammermeister had just under 15%.

With 40 out of 40 precincts reporting results for the Interior House seat vacated by Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, running for state Senate. Democrat Brandon “Putuuqti” Kowalski on 34% was ahead of several Republican candidates. Rebecca Schwanke, the top-placed Republican, had 19% of the vote.

In South Anchorage, Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, was well behind former GOP Rep. Chuck Kopp. With all six precincts reporting and 16% turnout, Johnson had 39% of the vote to Kopp, who had 61%.

Republican former Sen. Mia Costello was leading Democrat Denny Wells 51% to 44% in a West Anchorage district that could also be pivotal in determining control of the state House. Dustin Darden, a recently registered Democrat and a perennial candidate, had 4% on the vote from all six precincts reporting results.

With all 13 precincts reporting results for a West Anchorage Senate seat, Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage, had almost 60% of the primary election vote. Republican Rep. Tom McKay was far behind in second place with 21%. Liz Vazquez, a Republican, had 19% of the vote.

With all 17 precincts reporting results, Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman was leading with 44% of the vote for a key Kenai Peninsula Senate seat. GOP Rep. Ben Carpenter was second with 41%. Democrat Tina Wegener had almost 12% of the vote.

The Alaska Division of Elections reported that several polling locations in rural Alaska did not open on primary election day or were delayed in opening on Tuesday. A Kobuk precinct closed Tuesday afternoon due to flooding from a Bering Sea storm, election officials said.

Anchorage election workers reported no major issues on Tuesday, but anecdotally, they said turnout had been slow on the final day of primary election voting.

In Juneau, election workers said voting had been slow or steady on Tuesday. Juneau’s three state legislative races are uncontested, lowering the stakes for the primary election. Several election workers suspected that may have helped reduce turnout.

Renee Hughes, precinct chair in Lemon Creek in Juneau, said voting had been “slow” on Tuesday, but turnout had been similar to other primary elections she had worked.

“Everything is wonderful. We just wish we had had more voters,” Hughes said.

Follow returns at the Alaska Division of Elections.