Nick Begich III, a GOP candidate for Alaska’s at-large House seat in this November’s midterm election, refuses to end his candidacy. Former Gov. Sarah Palin is vying for the same seat. The two candidates will split the vote, and Democrat Rep.-elect Mary Peltola will win again, WND reports.
With no one dropping out, Republicans MUST pick a second choice, a Republican, to beat the Democrat. If they don’t pick a second choice, their vote won’t count in the second round, and the Democrat will win.
“Ranked choice voting showed that Palin simply doesn’t have enough support from Alaskans to win an election, and her performance in the Special was embarrassing as a former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate,” Begich said in a statement to the Associated Press.
In the special election, both Palin and Begich lost to former State Rep. Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate, who captured 41% of the vote in the first round of the new state’s ranked-choice vote system. According to the Alaska Division of Elections, Palin and Begich gained 31% and 28%, respectively.
Palin believes that if Begich doesn’t run, she would beat Peltola. She also won’t drop out.
Begich “needs to swallow a little pride,” according to Palin, who asked for his help on the campaign trail to elect her to office. She believes that she has the best chance of beating Peltola.
For his part, Begich has refused to drop out, vowing to continue campaigning, saying he can win the race. He said by losing the special election, Sarah Palin has proven she can’t win.
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