2022 United States House Of Representatives Election In Alaska

Democratic incumbent Mary Peltola won reelection to a full term in office, defeating Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III and Libertarian Chris Bye in the runoff count.

2022 United States House of Representatives election in Alaska's at-large district

← 2022 (special) November 8, 2022 2024 →

Candidate Mary Peltola Sarah Palin Nick Begich III Party Democratic Republican Republican First round 128,553 48.77% 67,866 25.74% 61,513 23.33% Maximum round 137,263 54.96% 112,471 45.04% Eliminated

First round results by State House district Maximum round results by State House district Maximum round results by borough/census area Peltola:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Palin:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. Representative before election Mary Peltola Democratic Elected U.S. Representative Mary Peltola Democratic

This was the second race in Alaska held under the 2020 Measure 2 election procedure, after year's special election. All candidates ran in a nonpartisan blanket top-four primary with each voter casting a single vote. Mary Peltola, Sarah Palin, Nick Begich III, and Chris Bye advanced to the runoff.

Under the rules of instant-runoff, Bye and Begich were eliminated in the first and second rounds, after they received the fewest votes; Palin received support from 66.8% of Begich's voters after he was eliminated. However, this was not enough to defeat Peltola, who went on to win with 55% of the vote.

Peltola's final-round vote share of 55% was the best performance for a statewide Democratic candidate in Alaska since the 1974 Senate race and the best performance for any statewide candidate in the state since the 2012 House race. Peltola was one of only five House Democrats in the 2022 midterm elections who won a district that Donald Trump carried in the 2020 presidential election; she outran Joe Biden's vote share by more than 20%, the highest overperformance of any House Democrat in the midterms.

Although Peltola's more-convincing margin of victory suggests that the pathological behavior of the special election was not repeated, election scientists noted that the early elimination of Begich and the opaque ballot-counting process created some uncertainty about the majority choice candidate, who may have been Begich, Peltola, or neither.

Democratic Party

Advanced to general

• Mary Peltola, incumbent U.S. representative and former state representative

Withdrew

• Christopher Constant, Anchorage Assembly member (endorsed Peltola)
• Mike Milligan, former Kodiak Island Borough Assembly member, Green nominee for this district in 1992 and for lieutenant governor in 1998 (endorsed Peltola)
• Adam Wool, state representative

Declined

• Les Gara, former state representative (running for governor)
• Elvi Gray-Jackson, state senator
• Emil Notti, engineer, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development, former chair of the Alaska Democratic Party, nominee for this district in 1973, and candidate for this district in the 2022 special election

Republican Party

Advanced to general

• Nick Begich III, Alaska Policy Forum board member, grandson of former U.S. Representative Nick Begich, and nephew of former U.S. Senator Mark Begich and Alaska Senate Minority Leader Tom Begich
• Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska (2006–2009) and nominee for Vice President of the United States in 2008

Withdrew after advancing to general

• Tara Sweeney, former Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs

Eliminated in primary

• Jay Armstrong
• Robert "Bob" Lyons, case manager
• Randy Purham, businessman and U.S. Army veteran
• Brad Snowden
• Denise Williams

Withdrawn

• John Coghill, former majority leader of the Alaska Senate, former majority leader of the Alaska House of Representatives, son of former lieutenant governor Jack Coghill, and U.S. Air Force veteran (endorsed Begich)
• Mikel Melander
• Josh Revak, state senator and U.S. Army veteran
• Jesse Sumner, Matanuska-Susitna Borough Assembly member

Declined

• Mead Treadwell, former lieutenant governor of Alaska (endorsed Palin and Sweeney)

Libertarian Party

Advanced to general

• Chris Bye, fishing guide

Eliminated in primary

• J. R. Myers, founder of the Alaska Constitution Party and its nominee for governor in 2014

Alaskan Independence Party

Declined

• John Howe, machinist and nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 (ran for governor)

American Independent Party

Eliminated in primary

• Robert Ornelas, pastor and perennial candidate

Independents

Eliminated in primary

• Gregg Brelsford, lawyer and former Bristol Bay Borough manager
• Lady Donna Dutchess, judicial reform activist
• Ted Heintz
• David Hughes
• David LeBlanc
• Sherry Mettler
• Silvio Pellegrini, businessman
• Andrew Phelps
• Sherry Strizak
• Tremayne Wilson

Withdrawn

• Al Gross, orthopedic surgeon, commercial fisherman, son of former Alaska Attorney General Avrum Gross, and Democratic-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020 (endorsed Peltola and Sweeney)
• William Hibler III, former glaciologist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Democratic candidate for this district in 2016 and 2020
• Jeff Lowenfels, attorney and gardening writer

Declined

• Santa Claus, North Pole city councillor and candidate for this district in the 2022 special election (endorsed Peltola)
• Andrew Halcro, former Republican state representative, candidate for Governor of Alaska in 2006, and candidate for this district in the 2022 special election

Results

Predictions

Debates and forums

As of September 2022, there had been one debate featuring the general election candidates.

A little over an hour before election results came in for the final round of the 2022 Alaska's at-large congressional district special election, a debate was held for candidates of this house seat. All four candidates were included in the debate.

Endorsements

Polling

Results

 

• 2022 United States House of Representatives elections
• 2022 United States Senate election in Alaska
• 2022 Alaska gubernatorial election
• 2022 Alaska Senate election
• 2022 Alaska House of Representatives election