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JUNEAU, Alaska — The race for the U.S. House seat in Alaska is gathering shape, with Republican Sarah Palin seeking a return to elected office 13 years after stepping down as governor and two of her rivals, Republican Nick Begich and independent Al Gross, trying to delete them runs as frivolous and self-serving.
The fourth candidate in the race, Democrat Mary Peltola, said campaigning negatively and “tearing each other down” is the “most unsavory” part of American politics. She said she hopes the next phase of the race, a special election in August with ranked voting, will help discourage that.
Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, called Begich and Gross “dumb guys” who took “pot shots.”
Palin, Begich, Gross and Peltola – in that order – were the front runners from 48 candidates in last week’s special primary. The election was the first under a voter-approved system that ends party primaries and introduces ranking voting in general elections.
The four advance to the special election. The winner of this contest will serve out the remainder of the late Republican Rep. Don Young’s term, which ends in January. Young, who died in March, held the seat for 49 years.
Palin attributed her decision to step down in 2009 to an onslaught of filing inquiries and ethics complaints, which she says have become reckless and time-consuming and distracting. She said she “did the right thing”.
Palin largely stayed out of Alaskan politics after his resignation. But hers is a household name. She has written books, appeared on reality television and conservative media programs, and promoted her work on Cameo, a website where people can buy personalized video messages from celebrities. She was joined in this race by former President Donald Trump.
She points to her experiences in state and local government. She also said she considers Young a friend and did not compete against him.
Begich, a co-chair of Young’s 2020 reelection campaign, began running for the House seat last fall, saying at the time Alaska needed “rejuvenated energy.”
The businessman advertises with his experience in the private sector. He also said he sees this as a race between himself and Palin, who, he said, “makes a living essentially as a human Hallmark card making celebrity videos.”
“At a time when our nation is facing serious challenges and even crises, it’s critical that we send people to DC who don’t just rattle off memorized rhetoric, but are deep thinkers with the ability to solve real-world problems.” , he said.
Begich said he hopes Palin will participate in more forums at this stage of the race.
Gross said on social media that he will “always fight for the Alaskans — unlike my opponent, Sarah Palin, who gave up the Alaskan people as governor and chose money and fame over hard work.”
David Keith, a campaign adviser to Gross, said Gross is comfortable running a “contrast campaign” with all the candidates.
“I don’t think anything we’ve done and I don’t think anything we’re going to do could be considered evil,” Keith said, adding that the campaign plans to use contrasts “in a pretty strong way ” to show.
Keith said this is a “serious time” that calls for serious conversations.
Gross, an orthopedic surgeon, ran for the US Senate in 2020 with support from state Democrats.
But in the House of Representatives special primary, leaders of the Alaska Democratic Party asked voters to choose from the six Democratic nominees.
The party had called Gross “pandering” in a social media post after Gross did not commit in a newspaper interview to argue with the Democrats if he were elected. Gross later said he would do it.
Keith called the post a “juvenile act” and said the traditional party structure was broken.
Peltola is on sabbatical during her career from her job as executive director of a commission aimed at restoring salmon resources on the Kuskokwim River. She served five terms in the Alaska House, citing her experience in elected office and public policy.
Peltola, who is Yup’ik, said it’s possible to make a difference in a divided Congress “by showing up and joining the discussion, unquoted, from a place of love. And I know that sounds cheesy, and it’s just dismiss that. It’s a Yup’ik tenet that says that in order to be productive and successful, you must approach your challenges from a place of love.”
“Certainly when you come to a very emotionally charged discussion, you can’t come up with a list of demands and treat everyone at the table as your enemy,” she said. Peltola said she learned that as a legislator.
She said she was impressed by the number of Alaskans she spoke to who said their primary concern was “upholding democracy, courtesy and respect.”
A special committee of the US House of Representatives has held hearings on the January 6, 2021 riot in the US Capitol.
Palin said Trump “did not incite violence.” She called the people who stormed the Capitol “idiots.”
Begich said Congress “needs to really focus on the everyday needs of Americans today,” citing inflation and other economic issues. He said he’s hearing from people “who aren’t able to keep their (gas) tanks full, people making difficult decisions about what to put on the table, whether to get their kids new clothes . These are beginning to become very difficult problems for ordinary Alaskans.”
Gross was not immediately available for an interview.
Peltola said she doesn’t think the country as a whole has moved away from the Capitol riots.
“I think calling an insurgency an insurgency is important and it’s part of the way we work through that,” she said. “I think we still have a long way to go in bringing people together.”