Election wrap-up: Begich and Peltola in final sprint, as Dunleavy speaks against ranked choice voting

Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola and her main Republican challenger, Nick Begich III, have been criss-crossing Alaska in the final push to Election Day.

Shannon Mason, a spokesperson for the Peltola campaign, said a flight cancellation in Ketchikan on Thursday morning saw Peltola fly to Seattle and then Anchorage so she could attend a campaign event on the Kenai Peninsula. She will be in Girdwood on Friday for a meet-and-greet, and down to Soldotna for another campaign event on Saturday.

Mason said that Peltola is planning to vote in Anchorage on Monday, and that she will be sign-waving on Election Day in Anchorage.

Political observers expect the Peltola-Begich race to be close. The race has attracted record Outside donations as Republicans and Democrats fight to form a majority in the U.S. House.

Begich, a businessman making his second run for Congress, is also planning to vote on Monday. He is set to be sign-waving on Monday and Tuesday in Anchorage.

There are Republican rallies planned in Anchorage and the Mat-Su on Saturday. Begich campaign manager Josh Walton said Begich may attend those rallies, but he could also be busy with media interviews.

Begich appeared on “Fox and Friends” Thursday as part of a segment on seven U.S. House seats Republicans think they can flip. Meanwhile, Peltola was recently in Bethel and spoke to radio station KYUK about issues in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.

Begich’s campaign almost had a travel hiccup of its own. Walton said they were campaigning in Fairbanks and faced “a real time crunch” to get back to Anchorage. Begich took an earlier flight and made it back just in time.

”We might have had to do ‘Fox and Friends’ from the airport or something,” Walton said.

Gov. Dunleavy opposes ranked choice voting

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy spoke in opposition to ranked choice voting in a video posted Thursday on social media by the Alaska Republican Party.

Alaska voters narrowly approved a ballot initiative in 2020 that implemented ranked choice voting and open primaries in Alaska. Voters will be asked at the Nov. 5 election whether they want to keep the system that supporters say leads to more consensus candidates getting elected.

”The feedback that I’m getting from a lot of folks are that they didn’t understand the process, they didn’t like the process,” Dunleavy said.

Dunleavy, a Republican, said that Alaskans “know who I’m going to vote for.”

”Vote for all of the candidates that you feel will create opportunity for Alaska, as opposed to social engineer Alaska or limit opportunity for Alaska,” he said.

The Alaska Republican party has endorsed the repeal of ranked choice voting and open primaries. The Alaska Democratic Party has supported keeping the election system.

Planned Parenthood rally Saturday

Planned Parenthood’s political wing is set to hold a rally on Saturday in Anchorage, calling on voters to support abortion and reproductive rights.

Abortion has been a top election issue this year across the country, particularly for women under 30.

The Alaska Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled that abortion access is protected by the state constitution’s privacy clause. But Planned Parenthood and similar organizations have urged voters to elect candidates who they say will safeguard abortion access.

The rally is hosted by Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates and Alaska March On. It is set to be held on the corner of Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard, starting at 4 p.m.