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ANCHORAGE — Former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, establishment Republican favorite Nick Begich III and independent Al Gross have won an all-party primary for Alaska’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, according to The Associated Press.
They will be three of four candidates on the ballot in a precedence general election on Aug. 16 to decide who will serve out the term of late Rep. Don Young (R), the state’s longtime congressman who died suddenly in March becomes.
As of Wednesday night, officials had not predicted which other candidate had garnered enough votes to make the top four and advance to the general election.
With 82 percent of the votes cast, Palin had 28 percent of the vote, compared to Begich’s 19 percent and Al Gross’s 13 percent.
Palin declared victory Saturday after the first of four ballots showed it was solidly ahead of the other 47 candidates vying for the federal seat. Palin had endorsement from former President Donald Trump and recognition in a crowded field.
“I look forward to the special election so we can highlight our ideas for repairing this country,” she said on Twitter on Saturday, speaking about “the right to keep and bear arms and to restore respect for individual liberties and the Constitution.” .
Begich, who was backed by the state GOP, launched his campaign while Young was still alive, posing as the more conservative candidate despite coming from an Alaskan family famous in the state’s Democratic politics.
In an interview with the Washington Post on Wednesday, Begich said he’s thrilled with the results and expects even more support in the special election from Alaskans who voted for candidates who didn’t make the final four.
“I’ve spent a career building businesses and creating jobs,” he said. “Sarah Palin’s biggest source of income right now is the Cameo website. She makes celebrity videos for a living and is essentially a human Hallmark card. That’s a big contrast.”
The Alaska Division of Elections has scheduled two more ballot counts with the goal of confirming the June 25 election.
Voters will select Young’s longer-term successor through another election, beginning with a primary, also scheduled for August 16, and ending with a leaderboard vote in November. More than 30 people walk.
Hannah Knowles contributed to this report.
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