Republican Nick Begich declared victory in Alaska’s U.S. House race on Saturday, ahead of Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola. Begich, who led Peltola by over 8,300 votes 48.7% to 46.1%, celebrated the projected win, stating it would be an honor to represent Alaskans in Congress.
Decision Desk HQ projected his victory, flipping the seat from Democratic to Republican control, though the Associated Press had not yet called the race. Peltola’s team did not respond to a request for comment.
The Alaska Division of Elections added about 6,800 votes on Saturday, which narrowed the margin in another closely watched race: a measure to repeal the state’s open primary and ranked-choice voting system.
As of Saturday, the “Yes” votes for Ballot Measure 2 were leading by just 895 votes, 50.1% to 49.9%, within the 0.5% margin for an automatic recount.
Around 9,000 ballots remain to be counted, with the process set to conclude on November 20. Other race results remained unchanged.