Republican Nick Begich declared victory in the race for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday, celebrating an impending win over Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola.
“Alaskans have spoken,” Begich said in a social media post. “It will be the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to serve as your voice in Congress.”
The organization Decision Desk HQ projected Begich would win the seat Saturday morning, flipping the seat from Democratic to Republican control. The Associated Press had yet to call the race as of late Saturday afternoon. Begich leads Peltola by more than 8,300 votes, 48.7% to 46.1%.
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A representative for Peltola did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Alaska Division of Elections added roughly 6,800 votes to its count on Saturday.
The update narrowed the gap in another high-profile statewide race, a ballot measure that would repeal the state’s open primary and ranked choice voting system.
As of Saturday’s update, “Yes” on Ballot Measure 2 leads by just 895 votes in a race that has seen 310,289 votes counted so far. The margin is now 50.1% to 49.9%, well within the 0.5% threshold that would trigger a state-funded recount.
The update did not significantly change the standings in other races.
The Division of Elections estimated Saturday that roughly 9,000 ballots were left to count. Counting is scheduled to conclude on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
The election is expected to be certified on Nov. 30.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated Alaska’s recount procedures. Races with a less than 0.5% margin can be recounted at the state’s expense, but the recount must be requested. Recounts are only automatic in the case of a tie.
Eric Stone covers state government, tracking the Alaska Legislature, state policy and its impact on all Alaskans. Reach him at estone@alaskapublic.org and follow him on X at @eriwinsto. Read more about Eric here.
