Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom Withdraws from U.S. House Race, Leaving Republican Nick Begich as Main Challenger

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In a surprising turn of events, Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican candidate backed by former President Donald Trump, announced her withdrawal from the race for Alaska's lone seat in the U.S. House. Dahlstrom's decision comes after finishing third in this week's primary election, leaving Republican Nick Begich as the main challenger to Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.

Dahlstrom, in a statement released by her campaign, expressed her deep belief that Alaskans deserve better representation than what they have received from Rep. Mary Peltola in Washington. However, she highlighted that the best course of action at this time is to withdraw her name from the general election ballot and end her campaign.

The primary election saw a dozen candidates running for the seat, with Alaska's open primary system allowing voters to select one candidate. The top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, will proceed to the ranked-choice general election. With early results indicating Peltola leading the vote count, followed by Begich and Dahlstrom, it remains uncertain who will secure the fourth position.

The upcoming general election is expected to be highly contested, as the GOP aims to reclaim the seat previously held by Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young for nearly five decades. Peltola won the seat in a special election in 2022, after Rep. Young's passing.

Notably, Dahlstrom's campaign received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and several House leaders, including Speaker Mike Johnson. However, Begich, who previously ran for the seat in 2022, had support from various local Republican groups.

Begich took to social media to congratulate Dahlstrom on her strong campaign and emphasized the need for unity to replace Rep. Peltola. He stated that Peltola's alignment with the left has demonstrated she is not the moderate she claimed to be.

While Dahlstrom did not make a similar pledge to withdraw if she finished behind Begich, she expressed her intention to discuss the results with Begich, Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, and the head of the state Republican party to strategize the best way forward for conservatives in the race.

Acknowledging Dahlstrom's selfless decision, the National Republican Congressional Committee thanked her for stepping into the arena this year and stated that Begich is a "great choice." With state law stipulating that if one of the top four candidates dies, withdraws, or is disqualified within 64 days of the general election, the fifth-place finisher moves on to the general election ballot. However, with 74 days until the November 5 general election, it is unclear if any changes will occur.

If the early results hold, the other two candidates advancing to the general election would be little-known Republican Matthew Salisbury and Alaska Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe, who each received less than 1% of the vote.

The race for Alaska's lone seat in the U.S. House continues to unfold, with the withdrawal of Nancy Dahlstrom reshaping the landscape and setting the stage for a tightly contested general election, as Alaskans look to determine their future representation.