In their sole TV debate, Alaska U.S. House candidates differ on resources, abortion and grocery chain merger

The two front-runners for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat met in a televised debate Thursday evening and discussed topics ranging from resource development to abortion access and whether President Joe Biden fairly won the 2020 election.

The hourlong debate featured Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and Republican businessman Nick Begich III. It was co-hosted by Rebecca Palsha of Alaska’s News Source and Lori Townsend of Alaska Public Media.

Participation in the debate was restricted to candidates who received more than 5% of the vote in August’s primary. John Wayne Howe, an Alaska Independence Party candidate, and Eric Hafner, a Democrat serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison, were not invited to participate. Both candidates got less than 1% of the primary vote, but they will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

Earlier in the day, the two front-runners met in a forum in Fairbanks hosted by the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. At that forum, Peltola and Begich had a heated exchange over the Willow oil project on Alaska’s North Slope.

In two key moments from the evening debate, Peltola declined to say whether she would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Begich raised doubts about President Joe Biden’s victory in 2020.

Alaska’s congressional race could be key to which party controls the U.S. House next year. The New York Times reports that Alaska’s congressional seat is among 26 toss-ups nationwide.

In the only statewide televised debate this election cycle, Peltola and Begich were civil.

Begich said he was a “100%, full supporter of Social Security” after news reports quoted him comparing it to a “Ponzi scheme.”

Both candidates spoke in support of stronger border controls, largely to block fentanyl coming into Alaska. Neither candidate named laws they would support to reduce school shootings.

Resources and Willow

Both Begich and Peltola have put resource development at the center of their campaigns. Peltola has touted her role in helping get the massive Willow oil project approved by Biden last year.

”We saw a president go back on his campaign promise — ignore his seniormost advisers within his organization — because I was able to make compelling and convincing and winning arguments for the development of this project,” she said in her closing remarks.

Begich appeared on the Mike Porcaro show on Wednesday with Louisiana U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, the House majority leader. They spoke about passing laws next year if Begich is elected that are intended to guarantee resource development in Alaska. Begich has been highly critical of the Biden administration for enacting policies he says have hindered development.

”Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and their allies in Congress, like my opponent, have it out for our state. That’s the truth. That’s the facts. And the reality is, if we want to open Alaska, we’ve got to do a better job at advocating for our state,” he said in his closing statements.

At the earlier Fairbanks forum, Begich cited press reports in which Biden said he backed the Willow project because he was concerned about losing a court challenge. Begich said Peltola’s claims of getting Biden to approve the project “were provably false.”

Peltola was scathing in response.

”That was your No. 1 objective two years ago, and I got it done. I’m so proud of that. And then to be mislabeled as anything but pro-energy is the biggest joke of this campaign,” she said.

Peltola, who opposed the planned Donlin Gold mine when running for election in 2022, shifted course and came out in support of the contentious project earlier in the year. When asked about that reversal on Thursday, Peltola said it was important to listen to the stakeholders in a region that she also calls home.

”I really think it’s important, when we’re looking at projects around the state, to listen carefully to the regional corporations that are involved in those projects and can benefit from them,” she said.

Begich said he is a full supporter of mining and responsible development. In a pointed remark, he said that “if I get elected, I will not flip-flop on this issue. I will always be supporting Alaska’s right to produce.”

Kroger-Albertsons merger, housing and minimum wage

On the contentious planned merger between U.S. grocery giants Albertsons and Kroger, the two candidates offered different viewpoints. Peltola has adamantly opposed the $25 billion merger, with concerns it could lead to store closures in Alaska. She said it was critical to know what stores “would possibly be divested out.”

“We also need to make sure that people have bargaining rights as this merger goes forward,” she said.

Begich, meanwhile, took a more cautious approach. He highlighted the importance of “a competitive environment” in Alaska, and said he would need to take a “closer look at it to ensure that competition remains in place.”

When asked a second time whether he would support the planned merger, he largely ducked the question.

”I support the ability for firms to merge. OK, we need to make sure that that ability occurs, but we have to protect the consumer as well,” he said.

To address Alaska’s housing crisis, Begich said more federal land in Alaska should be opened for development. He also said more pressure should be exerted on the U.S. Federal Reserve to drop interest rates.

The Federal Reserve sets interest rates independently, but in August, former President Donald Trump suggested he would want more influence on how the central bank operates if he’s reelected.

In her answer on how to address the state’s housing crisis, Peltola also said that “we should be looking more at interest rates.” She has campaigned as a centrist and said she opposed a central plank of Harris’ policy platform: a $25,000 down payment for first-time homebuyers.

“I think that will exacerbate the problem,” she said.

In Fairbanks, Peltola and Begich were asked whether they supported a ballot measure that would boost the Alaska minimum wage to $15 in three years and guarantee sick leave to Alaska workers for the first time.

Begich said he would vote against the ballot measure, and that he was against raising Alaska’s minimum wage, which has also been opposed by industry groups.

“I think what we need is to make sure that we keep entry-level jobs available for young workers and for people who need additional work. And I think that keeping a low minimum wage allows us to do that, effectively,” Begich said.

Peltola said there are policies she fundamentally supports at the core of the ballot measure, but she didn’t think a $15 minimum wage would have broad application in Alaska because most employees already earn more per hour. However, she said she would vote in favor of the initiative.

Abortion access

The New York Times reported in late August that while the economy remains the No. 1 issue for Americans, for a growing number of voters, particularly women, abortion access remains a top concern.

The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, eliminating a national right to abortion access. However, the Alaska Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that abortion access is protected by the state constitution’s privacy clause.

Peltola and Begich were divided on their approach to reproductive rights nationally. They were asked by the moderators whether they would support a federal ban or a federal guarantee for abortion.

Peltola, who has vocally supported reproductive rights, was adamantly opposed to a federal abortion ban and said that “I trust women and I trust their doctors.”

“Anti-choice extremists are committed to making sure that there is a majority in Congress who will end abortion across our nation. And nobody wants that. Nobody wants abortion. It should be safe, legal and rare,” she said.

Meanwhile, Begich said that he would not support a federal ban on abortion or a federal guarantee. Echoing Trump, Begich said that it’s an issue that should be decided at a state level.

“I don’t think that people in Alaska want folks in D.C. deciding this issue for them. They’re thousands of miles away from us,” he said.

However, Begich’s answer was at odds with a candidate questionnaire he answered in July from an Alaska anti-abortion group. In that questionnaire, he said that he would support a national abortion ban after the 12th week of pregnancy.

Crypto and the Freedom Caucus

Midway through the debate, Peltola and Begich were each given the opportunity to ask the other a question.

Peltola said Begich has been supported by the House Freedom Caucus, a hard-right faction of federal lawmakers. She asked whether Alaskans would want a representative engaged in Twitter fights and repeatedly pushing the federal government to the brink of shutdowns.

“I am not an obstructionist,” Begich said in response. “I think that we need to get work done, and we need to be serious about the work that is happening in D.C.”

For his question, Begich asked about a $1.9 million donation to boost Peltola’s candidacy from Fairshake, a group that Politico reports is backing candidates who support crypto-friendly policies. He asked Peltola what she knew about crypto.

“Well, I know it starts with Blockchain, and I am not an expert on crypto, but I do believe in innovation,” she said, before repeating a line she used earlier about how cryptocurrencies could potentially be a good alternative in Alaska villages.

Begich seized on her apparent lack of expertise with crypto and said that showed how influence is peddled in Washington.

“And I wanted to raise this question because I wanted to show Alaskans, look, this is how people buy votes in Congress. This is what they do,” he said.

The 2020 election and supporting Harris

Begich was asked during Thursday’s debate whether he believed President Biden legitimately won the election. He repeated conspiracy theories similar to those that Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have repeatedly used to deny the election result.

“I believe Joe Biden won the election because he’s the president today,” he said. “But what we have to look at is all of the things that were required in order for him to do that.”

Begich went on to claim that censorship of Google and social media had suppressed free speech. He argued that last-minute changes to election procedures were administered “under the guide of COVID” restrictions in a number of swing states, and said, “I think it’s worth looking at that.”

When asked in a follow-up whether he thought the 2020 election was fair and honest, Begich doubled down.

“I don’t think suppressing free speech in our country is a legitimate mechanism in order to get elected,” he said.

Peltola, who has declined to endorse Harris for president, also declined to answer whether she would vote for the Democratic candidate.

“It’s a secret ballot, and I think both of our presidential candidates have flaws,” she said. “I think that much of the concern that we have will be around who are they choosing as their senior advisers. And again, I think both candidates are flawed, and I don’t know why I would use up any of my gas on a race I don’t have any control over.”

Peltola and Begich are next slated to meet onstage Oct. 15 for their fifth and final debate, hosted by ConocoPhillips’ Civic Action Program.