Alaska Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich III holds a strong lead in his bid for a second term.
With about 70% of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Begich had nearly 50% of the vote. Independent Bill Hill, a fisherman and retired educator, had about 40%.
Begich addressed supporters at a joint party with Sen. Dan Sullivan after the second wave of statewide results.
"We just had a really good ballot drop here just a minute ago, and we are cautiously optimistic," he said at the Hotel Captain Cook in downtown Anchorage.
Begich talked about his accomplishments as a representative and about the recent decisions around resource development in the state.
"We opened up NPR-A. We opened up ANWR. We're getting that gas line,” he said. “This is what delivering for Alaska looks like."
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Begich, the nephew of former U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, is a Republican who generally sticks close to President Donald Trump and had the president’s endorsement. During “Debate for the State” last month he defended the Iran War and criticized the Affordable Care Act, which he said enriched insurance companies and didn’t improve health. He also lauded a $5 billion healthcare fund in last year’s budget reconciliation package. And he campaigned on the seven bills he sponsored that were signed into law.
Hill highlighted his background as a lifelong Alaskan raised in a village on Lake Iliamna. He’s been a salmon fisherman since he was 8, he said, and took time off the campaign trail to fish commercially in Bristol Bay, as he does every year. He blamed Begich for going along with an agenda that raised prices on gas, diesel and everything else. He raised $2.6 million, and his campaign was managed by Ship Creek Group, the firm that also had success representing Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins in the governor’s race. Hill also benefited from a political action committee called Wheel Dog PAC that spent $3.6 million. But as Election Day neared, the campaign had to spend some of its resources to tell Alaska Democrats not to vote for Eric Hafner.
Hafner, a federal inmate serving a long sentence in New York, is in third place with 7.2% of the vote. Hafner is a frequent candidate with no known ties to Alaska. He spent no money on his campaign. But he was the only Democrat running for Alaska’s sole seat in the U.S. House, and this year the Democratic Party label might’ve been a plus.
Alaska Democrats, like those around the country, seemed especially eager to vote this year, but that didn’t always help Hill.
Retiree Richetta Carey of Anchorage was keen to exercise her right to vote but doesn’t drive. She was thrilled when two progressive campaigners knocked on her door Sunday and offered to take her to the Midtown Mall for early voting.
“I said, ‘Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, for somebody coming by here and picking me up and taking me to the voting polls,’” she said after emerging with her “I voted” sticker. “And so that's why I'm here.”
Carey did not recall whom she voted for in the U.S. House but said she always follows her dad’s advice from five decades ago and chooses the Democrat.
Hill had the Alaska Democratic Party endorsement, but that wasn’t obvious in the voting booth.
A number of Hafner voters no doubt marked Hill as their second choice. Ballots will continue to come in for days. If Begich gets over 50% of first-choice votes, he’ll win the race outright. If not, it heads to ranked choice tabulation on Nov. 18.
