Republican Nick Begich has won the state’s U.S. House race, defeating Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola. Begich was endorsed by former President Donald Trump and won the seat that Republican Rep. Don Young held for 49 years before his death in March 2022. The GOP was eager to reclaim the state’s only House seat after Peltola’s historic special and regular election wins in 2022. Peltola, who is Yup’ik, was the first Alaska Native in Congress. Begich says he is a lifelong Republican but comes from a line of Democratic politicians: his grandfather held the House seat before Young and his uncle Mark was a U.S. senator.
