Toksook Bay Democrat Nellie Jimmie will represent the lower Kuskokwim in the Alaska State House, after the tabulation of Alaska’s ranked choice voting eliminated the lowest-ranking candidates and distributed voters’ second- and third-choice votes.
In the House District 38 race, the lowest-ranking candidates were Bethel Democrat Victoria Sosa, who came in fourth place, and Veterans of Alaska Party candidate Willy Keppel, who came in third.
"With only two remaining candidates, [the] unofficial winner is Nellie Jimmie, with 51.04% of the vote," narrated Alaska Division of Elections Program Manager Brian Jackson during a live broadcast of the tabulation. "CJ McCormick coming in second with 48.9% of the vote."
With strong support from many lower Kuskokwim villages, Jimmie beat out incumbent Bethel Democrat Rep. Conrad “CJ” McCormick by just 58 votes – Jimmie received a final total of 1,421 votes, and McCormick received 1,363.
McCormick had served as House District 38’s representative since 2022.
According to the Alaska Division of Elections’ unofficial final tabulation, Jimmie beat McCormick. Before ranked choice tabulation, Jimmie led the vote count with around 37% of the district’s first-ranked votes (1,302 votes).
McCormick was second, with around 32% of the first-ranked vote (1,142 votes). Keppel was third, with just under 26% of the first-ranked vote (906 votes). And despite dropping out of the race, Sosa received about 5% of the first-ranked vote (174 votes).
Overall, 36.72% of registered voters in the lower Kuskokwim Delta cast ballots in the 2024 general election, according to the Alaska Division of Elections. That’s a drop from voter turnout compared to the last presidential-year general election in 2020, when 44.5% of registered lower Kuskokwim voters cast ballots.
The election results won’t be official until they are certified by the state election review board on Nov. 30.
This is a developing news story and may be updated with additional information.
