The Must Read Alaska newsletter, which reaches 33,000 Alaskans three times a week, is known for pithy news, insights, and the Question of the Week, which is a nonscientific reading of the opinions of the mainly conservative readership.
This week, the opinions were nearly unanimous: 95% of participants in the three-day poll said that any Republican coming in after the first-place Republican in the congressional race should drop.
That means readers participating in the survey overwhelmingly agree that Nancy Dahlstrom, Matthew Salisbury, and Gerald Heikes should clear the decks so that leading candidate Nick Begich can go head-to-head with Rep. Mary Peltola in November, and so Republicans’ energies, funds, and enthusiasm is not diluted between various also-ran candidates.
Nick Begich, who got 6,000 more votes than Nancy Dahlstrom, learned the lesson in 2022. Those who are not in first can cost Republicans the ticket. Several months ago, he vowed that he would drop if he came in behind someone else. Dahlstrom never made that promise but said she would sit down with Begich and Gov. Mike Dunleavy and discuss the matter after the primary.
She didn’t, however. Before election results were in on Tuesday, Dahlstrom put up a press release on her website declaring herself as advancing to the general election. She then sent out a fundraising letter that celebrated her victory.
Must Read Alaska newsletter subscribers tend to be the conservative super voters in Alaska. They’re the ones who never miss an election. The newsletter is opened by more than 10,000 of these Alaskans every time it hits their email boxes.
In a previous week, Must Read Alaska ran a poll asking voters who they thought would be able to get the most done in Washington, D.C. — Mary Peltola, Nick Begich, or Nancy Dahlstrom. The results of that poll are:
