The 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election was held on August 16 to fill the seat left vacant after the death of Republican incumbent Don Young. Mary Peltola was elected in a 3-way race against former governor Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III in the election, becoming the first Alaska Native and woman to represent Alaska in the House.
The election was the first to use Alaska's new ranked-choice voting (RCV) method, approved by voters in 2020. The winners of the top-four blanket primary advanced to the ranked-choice runoff election, but only three candidates competed (as Al Gross withdrew and endorsed Peltola). Peltola was declared the winner on August 31 after all ballots were counted. Peltola's victory was widely seen as an upset in a traditionally Republican state. She became the first Democrat to win a statewide election in Alaska since 2008 and was sworn in on September 13.
Nonpartisan blanket primary
Candidates
Advanced to general election
Withdrew after advancing to general election
Eliminated in primary
- Dennis Aguayo (independent)
- Jay R. Armstrong (Republican), gold miner
- Brian Beal (independent)
- Tim Beck (independent), former Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly member (1998âÂÂ2004, 2005âÂÂ2011), candidate for FNSB mayor (2000) and Alaska Senate (2006)
- Gregg Brelsford (independent), lawyer and former manager of Bristol Bay Borough (2018âÂÂ2020)
- Robert Brown (independent), veteran
- Chris Bye (Libertarian), fishing guide
- John Callahan (Republican), public affairs officer for the Alaska Air National Guard
- Arlene Carl (independent), retiree
- Santa Claus (independent), North Pole city councillor (2015âÂÂ2018, since 2019) and mayor pro tem (endorsed Peltola)
- John Coghill (Republican), former majority leader of the Alaskan State Senate (2013âÂÂ2017), former state senator (2009âÂÂ2021), former majority leader of the Alaskan House of Representatives (2002âÂÂ2006), former state representative (1999âÂÂ2009), son of former lieutenant governor Jack Coghill, and U.S. Air Force veteran
- Christopher Constant (Democratic), Anchorage Assembly member since 2017
- Lady Donna Dutchess (independent), judicial reform activist
- Otto Florschutz (Republican), former Wrangell Port Commissioner
- Laurel Foster (independent), paralegal
- Tom Gibbons (Republican), business manager
- Karyn Griffin (independent), political organizer and activist
- Andrew Halcro (independent), former Republican state representative (1998âÂÂ2003) and Independent candidate for governor of Alaska in 2006
- Ted Heintz (independent), Corporate Contract Services Professional
- William Hibler III (independent), former glaciologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Democratic candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2016 and 2020
- John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party), machinist and Alaskan Independence Party nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020
- David Hughes (independent), program manager
- Don Knight (independent)
- Jeff Lowenfels (independent), attorney and gardening writer
- Robert "Bob" Lyons (Republican), case manager
- Anne McCabe (independent), former president of the Kenai Peninsula Educational Support Association
- Mikel Melander, blue collar worker
- Sherry Mettler (independent), businesswoman
- Mike Milligan (Democratic), former Kodiak Island Borough Assembly member, Green Party nominee for U.S. House (1992) and lieutenant governor (1998)
- J. R. Myers (Libertarian), behavioral health clinician, founder of the Alaska Constitution Party and its nominee for governor in 2014
- Emil Notti (Democratic), engineer, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, former chair of the Alaska Democratic Party, and nominee for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 1973
- Robert Ornelas (American Independent Party), perennial candidate
- Silvio Pellegrini (independent), cyber security manager, IT project manager, and intelligence analyst for the US Air Force Reserve
- Josh Revak (Republican), state senator for District M (2019âÂÂpresent) and U.S. Army veteran
- Maxwell Sumner (Republican), homebuilder
- Tara Sweeney (Republican), former assistant secretary of the Interior for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (2018âÂÂ2021) (ran as write-in candidate in general election)
- David Thistle (independent)
- Ernest Thomas (Democratic)
- Clayton Trotter (Republican), college professor
- Bradley Welter (Republican)
- Jason Williams (independent)
- Joe Woodward (Republican)
- Adam Wool (Democratic), state representative (2015âÂÂpresent)
- Stephen Wright (Republican), candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional district in 2016, candidate for Alaska State Senate in 2020, and U.S. Air Force veteran
Withdrawn
Declined
Endorsements
Debates and forums
Polling
Results
General election
Under Alaska's top-four primary system, if a general election candidate drops out, the director of elections may replace them with the name of the fifth-place finisher. Shortly after the primary, Al Gross dropped out of the general election, but Division of Elections Director Gail Fenumiai did not advance Tara Sweeney in his place because there were less than 64 days remaining until the general election as required by law. After a lawsuit, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld Fenumiai's decision.
Predictions
Post-primary endorsements
Polling
Al Gross vs. Sarah Palin vs. Lora Reinbold vs. Josh Revak<br />
Al Gross vs. Sarah Palin<br />
Al Gross vs. Josh Revak<br />
Results
Aftermath and analysis
The results were praised by pundits and activists, with FairVote, a pro-RCV lobbying group, arguing the low number of spoiled ballots proved Alaskans could use and understand the system. Former presidential candidate Andrew Yang said the election served as a model for electing moderate candidates to office, regardless of partisan affiliation.
However, experts in social choice criticized the election procedure for its pathological behavior called a center squeeze. Begich was eliminated in the first round, despite being preferred by a majority of voters to each one of his opponents, with 53% of voters ranking him above Peltola. However, Palin spoiled the election by splitting the first-round vote, leading to Begich's elimination and costing Republicans the seat. The final winner, Mary Peltola, was not listed at all on most voters' ballots.
The election was also an example of a no-show paradox, where a voter's ballot has the opposite of its intended effect, with high Republican turnout by Palin supporters leading to a Democrat (Peltola) winning. Peltola won the race because of 5,200 ballots ranking her last, behind Palin and Begich. Similarly, the election was an example of negative (or perverse) responsiveness, where a candidate loses as a result of having too much support (i.e. receiving too high of a rank, or less formally, "winning too many votes").
In the wake of the election, a poll found 54% of Alaskans, including a third of Peltola voters, supported a repeal of RCV. Despite this, a 2024 ballot measure to repeal the RCV system ultimately failed. Observers noted such pathologies would have occurred under Alaska's previous primary system as well, leading some to suggest Alaska adopt a rule without similar behavior.
See also
Notes
Partisan clients<br />
References