Palin, Begich, Gross to face off in Alaska
Former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, Republican establishment favorite Nick Begich III and independent Al Gross have advanced in an all-party primary election for Alaska’s sole seat in the U.S. House, according to The Associated Press.
They will be three of four candidates on the ballot in an Aug. 16 ranked-choice general election to decide who will serve out the term of late Rep. Don Young, R, the state’s longtime congressman who died suddenly in March.
By Wednesday night, officials had not projected which other candidate had earned enough votes to make it to the top four and therefore advance to the general election.
Ms. Palin declared victory on Saturday after the first of four ballot counts showed her solidly ahead of the other 47 candidates vying for the federal seat. The former governor had an endorsement from former President Donald Trump and name recognition in a crowded field.
“I am looking forward to the special general election so we can highlight our ideas for fixing this country,” she said on Twitter Saturday, discussing “the right to keep and bear arms, and restoring respect for individual liberty and the Constitution.”
The Alaska Division of Elections has two more ballot counts scheduled, with the aim of certifying the election June 25.
In other primary results, Adam Laxalt, a former Nevada attorney general who has embraced lies about the 2020 election, won the Republican nomination for a pivotal Senate seat, fending off a challenge from a political newcomer and setting up what will likely be a fierce and costly race against incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto, one of the most endangered Democrats in an evenly divided Senate.
Mr. Laxalt enjoyed the backing of the Republican Party’s most influential figures, ranging from Mr. Trump to Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But a late-stage challenge from political newcomer Sam Brown forced Mr. Laxalt to spend heavily in the final weeks of the primary campaign and tap into the support of some of his high-profile backers, particularly those with ties to Mr. Trump.
“Together we have taken an important step tonight,” Mr. Laxalt said at a party late Tuesday in Reno, Nev. “An important step in taking our country back, an important step in taking our great state of Nevada.”
Beyond the Senate race, Republicans in Nevada also picked Joe Lombardo as their nominee to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak in what could be one of the most competitive governor’s races this year. And the GOP backed Jim Marchant as their candidate for secretary of state. A former state lawmaker, he has repeated false claims about the presidential campaign and, if elected, would be in charge of elections in a state that could be critical in determining the winner of the White House in 2024.
In south Texas, Democrats lost a long-held seat in the U.S. House. They are likely to regain it in November, but Tuesday’s results were a reminder that the party’s standing is at risk of slipping among Latinos.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, helped a South Carolina state lawmaker take out five-term incumbent Rep. Tom Rice, who backed the former president’s second impeachment last year. While the win could help Mr. Trump regain momentum after setbacks in a series of races last month, it happened in a rural, solidly Republican congressional district.
Another incumbent that the former president sought to defeat in a neighboring district, Rep. Nancy Mace, held back the challenger, attracting some of the suburban moderates who bolted from the GOP during the Trump era.
Speaking to reporters after the results came in, Ms. Mace sought to strike a tone of consensus, pledging to “work with anyone who’s willing to work with me, full stop.”
For his part, Trump posted a statement on his social media platform saying Mace’s challenger, Katie Arrington, was a “long shot” who ran a “great race.” He offered his congratulations to Mace, who he said should easily prevail over a Democrat in the fall.