Nancy Dahlstrom drops out of Alaska’s U.S. House race

Alaska Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom has dropped out of the race for the state’s sole U.S. House seat.

Dahlstrom made the announcement in a statement on Friday after placing third in Tuesday’s primary election. She received just under 20 percent of the vote, with incumbent Democrat Mary Peltola leading with over 50 percent and Republican Nick Begich III at just under 27 percent.

The top four candidates in the primary advance to November’s ranked-choice general election.

In her statement, Dahlstrom said her goal remains defeating Peltola, who she said “certainly isn’t up to the challenge.”

“At this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal realized is to withdraw my name from the general election ballot and end my campaign,” Dahlstrom wrote.

Dahlstrom had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson. Meanwhile, Begich garnered endorsements from a variety of Republican district committees. He previously made a commitment to drop out of the race if Dahlstrom received more votes than him in the primary in an effort to not split Republican votes in the general election.

The Division of Elections will continue counting primary ballots until Aug. 30 and expects to certify the results Sept. 1.

Thank you to the people of our incredible state for believing in me and standing with me. I’m so grateful to be an Alaskan and will continue to fight for our great state. pic.twitter.com/co9XrtoaIn

— Nancy Dahlstrom (@nancyforalaska) August 23, 2024