Nick Begich III concedes congressional race, encourages Alaskans to remain engaged and involved

By
Suzanne Downing
-
122
2306

Nick Begich, the congressional candidate who came in third in the Nov. 8 general election in Alaska, posted his concession statement this afternoon:

“Today I’d like to thank my wife, Dharna; my son, Nicholas; and the thousands of Alaskans who supported us, volunteered their time and gave so much energy to our campaign. From traveling across this great state, listening to the challenges and hopes of Alaskans from every walk of life, and engaging in lively policy discussions with a host of other candidates and citizens with a wide variety of perspectives, it’s been an honor and a privilege to run for this office. 

“Tonight, I want to offer my congratulations to Alaska’s next congressional representative — Mary Peltola. Our nation faces a number of challenges in the coming years, and our representatives will need wisdom and discernment as they work to put America on a more sound path. My message to Alaskans is to continue to be involved and engaged. We have a government that is of the people, by the people, and for the people; and as such it requires the active participation of citizens, not simply to vote, but to debate, to discuss, to be informed and to work to create the future we would all like to see.

May God Bless the people of the Great State of Alaska,” Begich concluded.

Peltola, who won over Sarah Palin with 136, 893 votes to Palin’s 112,255 votes, ended up with 54.9 % of the vote after the ranked-choice voting process.

Nick Begich has 64,392 votes after the first person, Chris Bye, was eliminated, and stood at 24.48% Palin had 69,242 votes, or 26.32%, and Peltola had 129,433 votes, or 49.20%. She needed 50%+1, so the bottom vote getter was eliminated.

Of Begich’s 69,242 first-choice ballots, 43,013 voters picked Palin second. Some 7,460 of Begich’s supporters picked Peltola second, and 13,864 voters did not pick anyone second.

That means over 62% of Begich’s voters chose Palin after Begich on the ballot. About 11.5% of Begich’s voters chose Peltola second, and over 21.5% simply didn’t pick anyone second. Palin would have needed 24,639 votes more in order to beat Peltola.

Peltola told reporters, “This is a two-year contract. And I will be happy to work for Alaskans again, as long as they’ll have me.”

There was no statement from the Palin camp as of publication time.

122 COMMENTS

  2. Thanks, Porcaro.

    You wanted RVC. You pushed RVC. You got RVC.

    You said it would increase the chances of getting a Republican in office. How’s that working for you?

    • 100% Agreed. I still remember listening to his show when he said let’s try something new because what we are doing now isn’t working. Sometimes in life it isn’t about the money. Thank You Mike you should own it and Susan should write about it.

      • Maybe Suzanne will say something to Mike about him getting behind rcv. Every-time someone calls to his show talking about rcv he gets very very argumentative/defensive on this subject.

        • I’m not a regular listener anymore. I got tired of the blue sky thinking.

          I have heard SD and Mike Shower in particular call and speak unfavorably of RVC. Porcaro usually remains silent. It only with regular callers he got defensive or argumentative.

          • His show is quite comical now. Mike has had to expand sidekick Crash’s role as useful idiot. The two belittle callers and audience of their inability to understand the mathematics of RCV. Thanks NB3 for being the GOP plant for the Dems. Why I voted Bye

    • If Sarah Palin disappeared today, I fail to see how that would save Alaska from itself. Why don’t you outline it for us?

      • Don’t be defensive, it doesn’t suit you

        Alaska has gone solidly blue. Her election would not have changed that.

        Palin is a toxic, divisive figure in Alaska. 60+ negative rating across the board. She sucks the air out of a discussion and makes the focus her instead of the issue or her opposite party opposition.

        By making the focus her, it plays into the hand of the left. It draws attention from other candidates, helps the left fundraise, blocks up and coming conservatives from the stage. I could go on and on and on. She is a mean girl in the world of right of center politics. A vixen, victim, and bombastic.

        Palin has become a caricature of herself. She is essentially a loud smelly fart in a church.

  4. Looks like Nick came within 1.5% of Palin after Chris Bye was eliminated. A surprising number of his voters held their nose and voted for Palin. Can’t wait to see if her voters did the same. When will we get to see Palin’s voters’ second picks and Peltola’s voters’ second picks?

    Too bad about Peltola winning. Really feel bad for Alaska, but she is a really nice person. Voters decided the Begich name is just too hard for them to deal with. Can’t blame ’em. Mark and Tom have ruined the family’s good name. It will take generations to fix.

    • Bullwinkle, you asked “When will we get to see Palin’s voters’ second picks and Peltola’s voters’ second picks?” It seems you will only get to see that information when the Division of Elections decides you get to see it. The fact is, the information was available the eve of election day; the same as the results of the 1st-rank choices. However, your government decided to withhold the 2nd-rank results since you might “be confused” by the information before they tabulate it. Ironically, you own the data–as we all do. There is something fundamentally wrong with our election process.

  5. There is a place in the future of Alaska politics for NB3. But not Palin, who really loused up this election with her immense ego and pea brain.
    SP is finished in Alaska.

  6. Begich is why we now have a Democrat in Congress, ‘representing’ a Republican state.

    Maybe now Begich can move to California, where he’d be right at home with the liberals.

    • I wonder who the democrats will put forth in our next senatorial “election “ to make sure they don’t lose Sullivan.
      It worked flawlessly as planned to keep Lisa.

      • The surprising thing about this RCV, to me, was the number of exhausted votes that showed up. And frankly RCV is nothing more than “instant run-off” voting and to have your second place votes “exhausted” is nothing different than not showing up for a run-off vote if there is no candidate with 50% initially.
        If you think this was planned, then the planners must have known just how ignorant Alaskan voters are. Maybe these low-watt bulbs will see their blunder in the future-don’t hold your breath.

        • Bill,
          I agree with you mostly. But anyone who follows politics shouldn’t be surprised by the ballot exhaustion numbers. The special election showed us that voters simply do not understand rank voting, this election further proves it. Obviously many, and in some cases most, still do not understand rank voting. The rank voting advocates knew this and planned for this, let there be no doubt. Sadly many, and in some cases most, voters simply are not informed.

          • Like I said Steve-O, low-watt bulbs failed here. The big take-a-way here though is that why is it that the Rs had so many? Maybe we don’t know these are all Rs. Heheh!
            Along this same line it’s been reported that due to lack of vaccinations by Rs, giving more deaths in that group, they failed in many 2022 elections. This low-watt bulb thing is starting to give Rs a bad rap. Also heheh!

          • Bill, you are once again gaslighting us and lying through your teeth here. EVERY piece of scientific evidence is demonstrating that it is you supine and mindlessly conformist and vaxtards who are dying at increased rates, not those who refused the unsafe, uneffective and experimental mRNA witches’ brew in their veins. And that does not even address the radical drop in birth rates among vaxtards, either.

          • Here you go Jefferson: “A paper published Monday by the National Bureau of Economic Research puts some numbers to the relationship between voting Republican and dying of COVID — most likely because lower rates of Republicans got vaccines once they became widely available.”
            What does the birthrate have to do with voters being eliminated by covid? You are a funny guy. Heheh!

        • “…….If you think this was planned, then the planners must have known just how ignorant Alaskan voters are…….”
          It was, and they do.

        • “And frankly RCV is nothing more than “instant run-off” voting and to have your second place votes “exhausted” is nothing different than not showing up for a run-off vote if there is no candidate with 50% initially.”
          .
          While that is correct, the stupidity of RCV is how you cast your run off vote. I am sure plenty of people heard or saw something that may have motivated them to vote, or change their vote, in the run off if they had the opportunity. But, RCV takes that away from them.
          .
          And, yes, the planners of RCV were counting on how ignorant the voters are. Realize they are pushing it in about a dozen more states, and it is likely to pass there as well. Because your average voter is not informed.

          • So………………………..CB, you don’t like instant run-off! Many do and your speaking of RCV taking away the opportunity for folks to vote in a run-off doesn’t speak to why they exhausted their vote in RCV. RCV is different, and certainly cheaper than another run-off vote, but not stupid. It helped some Rs in Alaska’s recent election but not all-you don’t like it because your candidates lost in some-tough noogies.

        • “It helped some Rs in Alaska’s recent election but not all”
          Really? Who?
          And, what makes you think I am opposed to RCV because I do not like the outcome? I would be opposed to it if my preferred candidates won across the board as well. I know children like yourself are not capable of understanding that concept, that you stand for what is right, even if you do not like the outcome, but I am an adult. If my preferred candidate won, I would still fight to see RCV disappear. I have no doubt your opinion on RCV is 100% dependent on whether your candidates won or lost. Since, enough of your leftists/statist/AmericaHating candidates won, you are a fan of RCV.
          .
          And, you are correct, I do not like instant run off. It forces people to make a decision, an important decision, without full knowledge of the terms and conditions. How many people would have changed their minds if there was only two candidates on the run off? I suspect a lot of them. It is much easier to compare two candidates and make a final decision, than to decide between four/five.

          • More ad hominem BS from you I see. Anyway, several house members benefitted from RCV and all you’ve done since this election is cry us a river and complain about the voting system. Tough noogies to you CB. Heheh!

    • M,
      Please go get a psychological examination. Anyone who still follows Sarah Palin like a little lost puppy is quite disturbed.

      • Judie, I can assume you are a liberal as liberals often only have ad hominem attacks to offer.

        What is disturbing is that a Republican state will now not be represented. We will have a liberal who will follow the corrupt Biden agenda, vote to ban guns, and give a pass to Biden’s corruption.

        Peltola will be booted by voters, but not soon enough.

    • You have no proof of that. Palin would not have even likely won under the old system either as she has higher unfavorabilities than any other politician in Alaska with the exception of possibly Bill Walker. You probably know that too and are just ignoring reality and spewing out stupidity to help yourself cope that queen Sarah was a disaster as a candidate. It’s because of SARAH that she could not get Begich’s voters to rank her 2nd. Maybe if she had not been at the New York Knicks game 2 weeks before the election and tried to fix all the bridges she burned with Alaska voters she would have had a chance. Your blame game is nothing but pure stupidity.

      • Ryan,

        My “proof” is the fact that Don Young won 25 times in a row, over 50 odd years. Over that period of time Don did many things that might have gotten him booted. But Republicans stuck together, and Don always won with the idea that Don wasn’t perfect, but he was better than a Democrat.

        In this race you had the Democrat plant run ad after ad after ad attacking Palin. Right here on this web site we saw the “Alaska needs a fighter, not a quitter” ad.

        This was all a violation of Reagan’s 11th commandment. But the Republican rules did not apply to Begich, because he was never a Republican. He had not a shred of experience (having won and served) and he supported the unethical, socialist Berkowitz. What are we supposed to think?

        • Don Young won 25 times because he wasn’t polarizing, and your dumb argument about Berkowitz is void given that Sarah Supported the socialist Walker and signed the Socialist ACES. Begich was challenging Don Young because Young turned into a leftist and Begich wanted us to have a more conservative option. Begich was out there all of the time telling people Rank Sarah 2nd but people didn’t listen because they could not stomach voting for somebody as horrible as Sarah. Your so called PROOF is meaningless. I dont know why it is Sarah’s largely boomer supporters ignore all facts to defend their queen.

          • Ryan, your inexperience is showing. Do you get a “socialist” dividend check? If so, why?

            Our oil belongs to Alaskans. The Constitution says so. And the transfer of lands from the federal government to Alaska (at statehood) required- legally required- we develop those lands for the benefit of Alaskans. Getting a fair share for the oil we own is not only a constitutional requirement, it is also a condition of the use of the lands we were given. Sarah Palin knew this. So did Wally Hickel.

            Lets hope you are not one of those complaining about smaller dividend checks. There is no free lunch. You want to give away the oil, and your dividends get smaller. The average family has now lost about $20,000 because Palin’s ACES was replaced by SB-21.

            Palin was the most popular governor in the country when she was in statewide office. Palin would have stood up against Biden and his gun bans. Sarah would have stood against open borders and all the other nonsense Biden is pushing.

            But you went with a guy whose sole mission was to ensure a Democrat victory. Now you have to live with the consequences.

        • M, you obviously have not looked into Nick’s record at all. You are stuck on your crazy narrative. Nick is a lifelong Republican, since he was in high school in his Republican club. Who was negative? Sourpuss Sarah, constantly attacking Nick, never attacking the Democrat, talking about how much she loved Peltola. If Sarah was a real Republican, she would have recognized that getting into the race when there was an endorsed Republican candidate already in the race would produce nothing but problems for the republicans. But she didn’t care. She is a narcissist and a grifter. Alaska has never produced a more despicable ego-driven politician than Sourpuss Sarah, and that is saying a lot.

    • It’s people like you that are the reason we now have a far left Democrat in Young’s former seat.
      You are unengaged and uneducated.
      NB3 is for more Conservative than Palin will ever be, and many many times more educated about Alaska’s
      issues and challenges.
      He worked 50 times harder than Sarah did this campaign.
      She refused to campaign, or educate herself about our issues, preferring instead to simply go with “vote
      for me, because I am Sarah Palin”.
      She and her cult, and you ARE a cult, are why we now have a radical Leftist in office….

      • “…….She and her cult, and you ARE a cult, are why we now have a radical Leftist in office….”
        Both in August and November, Peltola got way more votes than Palin, and Palin got way more votes than Begich. In August, had Begich voters chosen Palin second, Palin would have won. By November, the majority of “moderates” and Bush voters realized that conservatives were busy slitting each others throats and Peltola could win again, and she did by a wider margin. Palin and her supporters didn’t lose. Conservatives and Republicans did, and that was purely because of Palin Derangement Syndrome, not a split ticket.

      • Tim, enough with your ad hominem attacks.

        Begich kept finishing in last place because voters did not like him. If he’d just had the decency to drop out we’d not now have a socialist Peltola to advance the Biden agenda.

        Lets hope Begich moves to California, and we never have to see him again.

      • And if the Buccaneers just did not show up on Nov 13th, the Seahawks would have won…
        .
        Seriously, NBIII came in 3rd in the primaries and the special election. That is called, in the adult world, a “hint” or a “clue.” NBIII, and you Palin haters ignored it, and created some fiction where 2nd/3rd ranked votes meant something. So, NBIII thought he had a chance.
        .
        Before you start accusing people of causing this, take a long hard look in the mirror.

        • You forgot all the military in this State living off the government too. WAY more money spent on military benefits than abortions I bet.

          You do also realize the military allows for low resource families to get WIC and such right?

          Wanna talk PPP loans to Alaskans, as well?

    • M, perhaps you meant to say ” Palin should move back to Arizona

      Mary is your Congress Person, because of Sarah, not Nick.

      Sarah was devoid of ideas. Was horribly misinformed and couldn’t be bothered to spend time on the Campaign trail to actually meet real Alaskans. Sarah was more comfortable in the arms of her Florida BF, and being on News Programs in the lower 48.

      Face reality M, or keep on worshipping a vapid former beauty queen who has consistently crapped all over Alaska.

      • Puk, Peltola does not represent me. Nor the tens of thousands of Alaskans who do not want:

        1. Open borders.
        2. Gun bans.
        3. Reckless, deficit spending.
        4. A coverup of the Hunter, Jim, Joe, Biden corruption.
        5. More welfare, both for corporations, or lazy people who refuse to work.

        In Palin’s campaign, she said:

        1. “Rank the red”
        2. “Pro life”
        3. “Pro border control”
        4. “Pro Second Amendment”
        5. “Pro Arctic”
        6. “Pro resource development”
        7. “Pro individual liberties” etc.

        Peltola doesn’t stand for any of those things. You liberals hate the things Palin stood for as well.

        • We don’t hate what Palin SAYS she stands for, we hate what Palin ACTUALLY stands for… self-centered, ego driven, lying, grifting, narcissistic, ignorant celebrity.

        • M, I’ve noticed that you have a habit of calling people names. Above you refer to me as a Liberal. I am a Liberal, a Classical Liberal, many if not all of our Founding Father’s were Classical Liberals. They were influenced by the writings of Locke and other geniuses.
          It was this same Liberalism that created our Constitution which limits Government.
          Modern Classical Liberals include thinkers like Dr. Thomas Sowell and the late Dr. Walter E. Williams.
          I thank you for calling me a Liberal. I am honored in fact.
          Peltola is not a Liberal in the Classical sense. She and those like her are Authoritarian and , well, Bolscheviks. Know the difference.
          Thanks M!

      • “…because of Sarah, not Nick.”
        .
        Not a position supported in reality. Look at the votes, NBIII showed up 3rd in every election, primary or general. No amount of rationalizations will change the fact that the voters did not want him. I have seen way too many arguments that NBIII was preferred, and they are all based on magical thinking.

    • Agreed. Begich is patting himself on the back right now for a job well done along with all his extended family.

  8. So where is Sarah, she came back to AK to mess things up once again. I bet you will not hear anything out of her and if we do, she will blame everybody and everything but herself. Please just leave AK and don’t come back. The money you need is not in AK.

      • Sarge,
        Sarah cannot lead a flock of chickens back into the coop with a bucket full of grub worms.
        She needs to disappear from Alaskan politics. Unless you want to keep on losing!

        • That’s it Robert, keep attacking Palin with insults; just like Nick did as described above by M. Can’t you see when you attack a Republican candidate you are attacking (alienating) all his/her supporters as well? Keep attacking Trump too. Then we can languish in a country totally controlled by Democrats from top to bottom. Brilliant strategy Skippy.

          • Hilarious Wayne as the main culprit here is Trump and he has just been begging to be attacked by Republicans who are interested in future wins for their members. You thinking you should be giving Trump some kudus for his behavior? Heheh!

          • I’m conservative but Palin is so bad for America that many of my conservative friends voted against her. If we sent her to Congress she would lose us many other congressional seats in other states just by being herself and making centrist Americans believe that all conservatives are like her.

            Conservative America and an entire generation of impressionable young people dodged a bullet from a narcissist queen. Hope she moves back to New York.

          • Wayne Douglas Coogan,
            Time for your visit out back, behind the woodshed…

            My comments were not an attack, but rather a learned comment about the subject of leadership. To that end I can produce volumes of evidence that will support my statement regarding Ms Palin’s complete lack of leadership. My comment was directed to Sarge Rudd, who like Chauvin of Old France defended the midget Corsican Emperor despite the devastation he wrought upon France.

            I fear however that my breath is wasted upon you my old friend. Sadly, I see that when it comes to politics you have adopted the Palinista formula of blaming others for your own personal failure. ?

        • Howdy Beto, She beat Nick EVERY TIME. And is leading the CHARGE Against RCV. Nick is not even carrying an empty bucket. He got no worms. Sarah in 2024 with No RCV. MAGA

          • Sarge, kindly see my comments to Wayne above.

            I voted Sarah ? as my second despite her long and soiled record of crapping all over Alaska, so don’t blame me for your girls epic failure.

            We need to over turn RCV. I submit that other leaders and not Sarah are best suited to lead this charge. Unless your idea of leading the charge is watching a hockey game at Madison Square Garden?

            Over and out good buddy! God bless and Merry Christmas!
            Thanks!

          • By leading the charge on RCV repeal, Sarah Palin ensures its survival. The 55% that is glad Palin is not in office will be more than happy to make sure it remains the law of the land. Once again, Sarah Palin finds another way to screw Alaska through sheer stupidity.

      • RCV is here to stay. A majority of voters like it. Only a minority care what Sarah’s positions are on anything.

        • Just because a majority of voters like it does not make it right. The other name for that is mob rule.
          .
          If a majority of voters, say 50.0001% of them, decide it is OK to confiscate private property without justification, warrant, or due process, does that make it right?
          .
          The “majority” has been wrong, quite often.

          • Actually, “mob rule” involves lawlessness, which really doesn’t apply to a well publicized process that every voter in the state was given equal opportunity to weigh in on.
            I would agree that the majority is fully capable of being wrong on a multitude of issues, i.e., leisure suits and skinny jeans. But RCV empowers people (granted many rights in the Constitution) at the expense of political parties (not mentioned in the Constitution). Most voters, and all unaffiliated voters, don’t want a small subset (often radicalized) to eliminate viable candidates in a primary before they ever get a chance to vote. Open primaries let voters, not parties, decide who the finalists are; and RCV lets voters make the same choices in the booth as they would when deciding which movie to see (if Die Hard is sold out, the next best action movie becomes the 1st choice).
            It’s a democracy, and you are free to support a repeal effort aiming to convince a majority of voters that Parties know better than them. Good luck with that.

      • No it’s a some mildly banker guy. She just is a strap hanger. Listened to schpell. Bill’s comments above are spot on. He only forgot to add that the exhausted vote was the product of the republican machine hammering at RCV to influence voters to single candidate vote and set conditions question the outcome. Republicans and their candidates clearly did not understand the battlefield. As such they were ill prepared in their campaigning despite having money and influence. RCV was not the reason for losing the House, ego was.

      • M, I think anyone who knows Begich knows he is a true conservative. I got to know him at the end of the campaign and I was impressed. But one thing is for sure. The powers that be won’t allow Sarah to win in Alaska. That will never be allowed to happen. Sarah is not who she used to be. She has changed.

        • Karen. If Begich was a “true conservative” he would not have attacked Sarah Palin over and over and over.

          A true conservative would have followed Reagan’s 11th Commandment.

          Begich never won elective office in Alaska. Never. He had no track record that could be evaluated, except for his support of socialist Berkowitz. No conservative would have backed a socialist. Ever.

          Begich was a Democrat plant.

          • Reagan’s 11th “commandment” is about attacking other Republicans. Sarah hates the party and has said so for years. She is not a Republican any more than Lisa Murkowski is. Did you have a problem with Kelly going after Lisa? After all they both appeared on the ballot as Republicans.

  10. I wonder who the democrats will put forth in our next senatorial “election “ to make sure they don’t lose Sullivan.
    It worked flawlessly as planned to keep Lisa.

  11. Classy exit from the race, Nick. May your intelligence, character, and ambition continue to serve you and others well.

  12. I really do regret having been so prescient in my April column about Palin’s impact on not just this race but the whole electoral landscape. Alaska’s homewrecker strikes again.

    • I’m assuming you’ve read Sun Tzu. In chaos there is opportunity. Palin and RVC created chaos. Mary seizes the opportunity.

    • Art, we all saw it happening like a slow motion train wreck. That said, Palin was never the problem; but merely one of the symptoms. Alaskan conservatives are in disarray, not easily herded like the disciplined leftists. The majority conservative voters are unlikely to change so the disciplined leftist will control our state for the foreseeable future. You should not regret having the prescience to see these facts as they are.

      • “…….Alaskan conservatives are in disarray, not easily herded like the disciplined leftists…….”
        This fact is not exclusively Alaskan. This is common throughout the western world with conservatives. But, like usual, the long term results are near. Note an increasing trend of conservatives that the leftist media feels compelled to describe as fascists coming to power throughout the western world. The process of winnowing has well begun. In the U.S., this will result in a major schism within the Republican Party, and that will center on the issue of abortion, because abortion is the god of RINOs. It defines them. It is the one plank in the party platform that they cannot and will not honor. Like slavery throughout the 19th Century, abortion will eventually kill “the Whigs”, a new party will stand, and the murderous Demonrats will be compelled to begin a civil war to defend their unquenchable thirst for blood.
        Then the world will be cleansed.

  13. Gives you an idea of how many Alaskans absolutely can’t stand Palin. She and Trump screwed this election up royally by overestimating how much Alaskans care about celebrity. Some conservatives literally voted for Peltola over Palin, others couldn’t even bring themselves to put either Peltola’s name or Palin’s name down. Now we’re blue in Congress. Thanks Palin. Thanks Trump. Thank you blind, uninformed voters. Where’s Palin now? Arizona?

  14. Looking backwards, Begich reached too high too fast. He should have learned from his family and played a longer game. Win local/ state elections and prove he’s not a liberal. Then go for House.

    Nick and Sarah both were never able to overcome their names.

    • We know this is not true. Nick would have won the special election but Palin was the spoiler. Palin then inadvertently created a national Democrat giant by losing to Mary Peltola.

      Besides MA, look at the field. Who else was going to run and win? Revak? Sweeney? Coghill? NB3 had the stones to take on Don Young, something no one credible had been willing to do on the right for decades.

      • Your proof Begich could have won? Proof, not wishes or gut feelings.

        Simple facts. I’m big on facts.
        Begich has a toxic name. More, he had little to no conservative track record to run on. If Begich didn’t have a toxic name it might not have opened the door to Palin. But no one knows.

        Simple fact is Young overstated his welcome by a decade. His ego appears to have gotten in the way of his vision. He didn’t groom a successor in his quest for 50 years.

        Who else would have run? Who knows? Young’s actions made that debate impossible.

        • Proof after proof is out there with a quick search of the internet. Many groups ran the numbers independently. Palin was the spoiler.

          ‘https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/09/09/palin-begich-ranked-choice-voting/

  15. The Palin delusion is strong.
    .
    Reality. NBIII was a solid candidate, but when he consistently placed 3rd in the primaries, special election, etc… it was time to step aside. Claiming Palin is the reason Peltola won is just plain stupid.
    .
    Sure… NB might have won if anything other than his first ranked votes were counted. But, they were not. Claiming they have meaning is the equivalent of claiming the NY Mets really won the game because more of their players made it to first. Those do not get counted, and neither to second or third ranked votes until that candidate is eliminated. Since Begich was eliminated first in the special election, he should have taken the hint.
    .
    I do not care what candidate you like most, or how much you hate Palin. Don’t care. Allowing the person who came in 3rd in the special election to remain on the ballot assured us of a Peltola repeat.
    .
    The Democrats thank you for your service.

    • CBM, I disagree with you on that. Nick had been campaigning for over a year before Sarah decided to jump in, with literally 1/2 hr left to declare. They both carried some left-leaning baggage, but Sarah was just to slow and indecisive. If she had been there at the beginning, Nick may have decided to back out. She wasn’t. – M.John

      • Yet, the tale of the tape is indisputable.
        NBIII consistently came in 3rd.
        .
        It does not matter how many yards you get in the football game, the points on the board matter. It does not matter how long your practice, the points on the board matter. Begich saw a miserable vote total in the special election. Hint: Palin is preferred over you. Support her, and we keep a Republican in the seat. But, instead… he listened to idiots who pushed baseless reasons for Palin to drop.
        .
        Bummer, Begich lost. Coming in 3rd three times in a row should have tipped him off.

      • M.John. And the outcome would have been the same. Young would have had Begich split the R vote, and Peltola would have been elected.

        Isn’t this obvious? Begich could never, ever, ever, have beat Young. But he could split the R vote, and ensure a Democrat victory- which was the plan.

    • “…….Claiming Palin is the reason Peltola won is just plain stupid…….”
      Be prepared to hear that mantra from the stupid forever. They need it to support their ideology.

  16. Lesson to be learned – when establishment Republicans (RINOS) rush to endorse a candidate, voters, in particular independents, are smart enough to stay away from that person. Begich received less than 65k votes! He was never going to be a serious contender.

    • Begich needs the establishment for his future. Trump doesn’t and is determined to destroy the establishment. Whether he can or can’t remains to be seen, but it’s looking unlikely. The media propaganda machine is just too powerful, and people are just too stupid.

    • Nick has plenty of practice conceding. He lost 4 times this year alone. He also lost to Amy Demboski for Assembly in 2016. He’s never won an election in his life unless you want to count high school student council.

      • Jim,
        Your girl has lots of experience in screwing Alaska over, over and over again.
        What’s it like to be in a dysfunctional love relationship? One where you idolize a narcissistic bimbo while she stabs you in the back.

  18. Like it or not rank voting is the law of the land, either we learn to play the game or we suffer our own ignorance.

  19. Yup.
    The noble Nick Begich – 2 time loser finishing in 3rd place.
    Great Democrat plant – if he wasn’t why didn’t he drop out after finishing in 3rd place the first time.
    Then the Begich crowd went on an intercine party destruction campaign, the likes of which have never been seen before – insuring the Peltola victory.
    And the Begich crowd couldn’t be counted on to rank the red.
    Honestly, it’s disgusting what has transpired .
    Just think if that energy, vitriol, passion, and printing press ink went into exposing Peltola.
    You NEVER see the democrats do that to themselves.
    Thanks Begich supporters – this is 100% on you.
    Palin Derangement Syndrome – PDS.
    Ya’all got played.

  21. Wait!! Sarah Palin won! I saw the press conference on Instagram! She named Gary Ward the acting chief of staff! She went to DC – I saw her coffee cup on that airplane. I saw her on Fox News!! How does no one remember?!?

    What happened?? Why hasn’t Sarah Palin put out a statement? Sarah please please please don’t quit on us again President Trump is with you.

    You are so smart and such a patriot. I hope he makes you his Vice President so you can run for President in 2028. You will only be 64 then … far younger than Sleepy Joe. We need you to deal with Putin and put him back in his pace just like you told that Katie Couric!

  22. Like Trump’s disdain for the establishment Republicans – which is most of them.
    Lemme guess – you were a Jeb supporter..
    You got used – the democrats used you, as Lenin liked to say, as a useful idiot.
    You people couldn’t even rank the red.
    Shame.

  23. How much money was Porcaro Communications paid to create Advertising for RCV & then be the voice on the Radio? Just asking

  28. It’s not as bad as I thought… Only 7,460 people who voted for Begich voted Peltola second. It’s hard to imagine why these people would cast their 2nd choice for someone on the complete opposite end of the political spectrum (Peltola is a devout socialist leftist). I can understand people choosing to leave their second choice blank instead of casting it for Palin after, her poor showing on the national stage, numerous character and policy flaws and her support for Walker over Parnell. Folks are quirky when it comes to political popularity contests and at least 7,460 Alaskans have proven themselves to be the quirkiest of the bunch!

    • I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I was fooled by Sarah Palin. She really is in it for herself. Begich is the future. Palin the past.

  31. Quick recap…
    …After refusing dozens of local media interviews, Palin attends New York Knicks game in final week of election saying a trip to New York was the only way to get the word out to Alaskans that she is running for Congress
    …Palin finds herself down 25% on election night
    …Palin declares victory and appoints her campaign manager as acting chief of staff in an odd rambling video press release
    …Palin flies to meet with the Freedom Caucus to begin her work in Congress
    …Two days later Palin attends a sports card show in Toronto to sign autographs
    …Palin claims election is rigged and believes she should be ahead in the count because she has a large social media following
    …Palin says “we see you Dominion” appearing to claim the machines are causing her to lose
    …Palin suggests people stop donating to Republicans and then suggests she will start a third party
    …Palin dedicates a series of social media posts addressed to her 4 million followers to respond to an obscure letter to the editor
    …Palin loses by 10 (7 points more than she lost in the special election)

    After all the challenges and blame, what does Palin say next? “Happy Thanksgiving!”

    Many Alaskans are thankful, for reasons that should be obvious at this point.

  33. Has Palin conceded yet or has she forgotten that she ran and lost and is now off to ‘do other things’? Is she lobbying Trump for a number 2?

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