House District 38 candidate Victoria Sosa says she’s informally stepping out of the race to represent the Lower Kuskokwim in the Alaska State House and backing fellow Democrat Nellie Unangiq Jimmie.
Sosa spoke at a candidate event in Anchorage on Oct. 16 at the Coastal Villages Regional Fund (CVRF) headquarters in Anchorage.
"I'm here to support Nellie. I just want everyone — to say that this year is really important to get out the Native vote and to vote for Nellie," Sosa said to the assembled crowd. "I voted for her in the primary, and I'm going to vote for her again, and I support her. That's why I'm here."
Sosa’s name will still appear on the ballot, because the deadline to officially withdraw from the General Election ballot passed on Sept. 2.
Out of four candidates running to represent House District 38, Sosa came in fourth in the state primary election in August, which secured her spot in the general election.
Jimmie, a Democrat from Toksook Bay, was heavily favored in the primary by many villages outside of Bethel, and secured almost 44% of the votes district-wide. Incumbent state house Rep. Conrad “CJ” McCormick, a Democrat from Bethel, came in second with around 28% of votes in House District 38.
And Veterans of Alaska Party candidate Willy Keppel came in third in the primary, with just over 20% of votes.
Early and absentee-in person voting are open for state and federal races in Alaska, and will remain open until Election Day on Nov. 5. In Bethel, early voting takes place at the Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) building. Find early voting locations for other communities in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta here.