Republican Nick Begich announced on Thursday he would run for Congress again in Alaska, setting up a possible rematch against incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska), the state’s only statewide elected Democrat.
“As an Alaskan dad, husband, and business owner — I can’t sit back, and simply watch what is happening to our state and country. I believe in Alaskan families, our shared values, and the responsible stewardship of our lands,” Begich wrote on Twitter. “It’s clear, we don’t have the voice we need in Congress, and I believe it’s time we restore that voice: for our families, for our communities, and for our future. That’s why, today, I’m announcing my run for U.S. House.”
Begich, a Republican activist in the state, ran for Congress in both the August 2022 special election to succeed the late Rep. Don Young — the state’s longtime member of the House who died while traveling back to Alaska in March 2022 — and the November general election. He came in third, behind Peltola and Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential nominee and Alaska governor, in both contests. Under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, voters rank candidates in order of preference and votes are redistributed in successive elimination rounds.
