2022 Alaska elections
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| Elections in Alaska |
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The 2022 Alaska state elections took place on November 8, 2022.[1] The state also held Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA) elections on the first Tuesday in October.[2]
Federal Elections
[edit]United States Senate Seat (Class III)
[edit]Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski was originally appointed to the Senate in 2002, winning subsequent elections in 2004, 2010, and 2016.
Under Alaska's recently adopted election system, the state conducted a nonpartisan blanket primary. Murkowski finished first (with 45.05% of the vote), ahead of Republican Kelly Tshibaka (38.55%), Democrat Pat Chesbro (6.82%), and Republican Buzz Kelly (2.13%). Murkowski, Tshibaka, Chesbro, and Kelly all advanced to the ranked-choice general election.
In the first round of tabulation in the general election, Murkowski finished first (with 43.37% of the vote); Tshibaka finished in a close second (42.60%). Chesbro received 10.37% of the vote, while Buzz Kelly received 2.89%.
Murkowski won the election with 53.70% of the vote in the third round of tabulation.
| Party | Candidate | First choice | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | ||||
| Republican | Lisa Murkowski (incumbent) | 113,495 | 43.37% | +623 | 114,118 | 43.39% | +1,641 | 115,759 | 44.49% | +20,571 | 136,330 | 53.70% | ||
| Republican | Kelly Tshibaka | 111,480 | 42.60% | +621 | 112,101 | 42.62% | +3,209 | 115,310 | 44.32% | +2,224 | 117,534 | 46.30% | ||
| Democratic | Pat Chesbro | 27,145 | 10.37% | +1,088 | 28,233 | 10.73% | +901 | 29,134 | 11.20% | −29,134 | Eliminated | |||
| Republican | Buzz Kelley (withdrew)[a] | 7,557 | 2.89% | +1,018 | 8,575 | 3.26% | −8,575 | Eliminated | ||||||
| Write-in | 2,028 | 0.77% | -2,028 | Eliminated | ||||||||||
| Total votes | 261,705 | 263,027 | 260,203 | 253,864 | ||||||||||
| Blank or inactive ballots | 3,770 | +2,824 | 6,594 | +6,339 | 12,933 | |||||||||
| Republican hold | ||||||||||||||
United States House of Representatives
[edit]Special election
[edit]Incumbent Republican representative Don Young died on March 18, 2022, after serving as representative for 49 years.[6] A special election was held on August 16 to fill the rest of his term, resulting in Democrat Mary Peltola beating Republicans Sarah Palin and Nick Begich using the state's newly implemented ranked-choice voting system.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Round 1 | Round 3 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | ||||
| Democratic | Mary Peltola | 74,817 | 39.66% | +16,449 | 91,266 | 51.48% | ||
| Republican | Sarah Palin | 58,339 | 30.92% | +27,687 | 86,026 | 48.52% | ||
| Republican | Nick Begich | 52,536 | 27.84% | -52,536 | Eliminated | |||
| Write-in | 2,974 | 1.58% | -2,974 | Eliminated | ||||
| Total valid votes | 188,666 | 100.00% | 177,423 | 100.00% | ||||
| Inactive ballots | 3,876 | 2.01% | +11,374 | 15,250 | 7.92% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||||||
General election
[edit]Peltola ran for election to a full-term, again against Palin and Begich. Republican Tara Sweeney originally placed fourth in the nonpartisan blanket primary, but withdrew. She was replaced by Libertarian Chris Bye, who finished the primary in fifth place.
In the first round of general election voting, Peltola came in first with 48.77% of the vote to Palin's 25.74%, Begich's 23.33%, and Bye's 1.73%. In the third round, Peltola won the election with 54.96% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | Transfer | Votes | % | ||||
| Democratic | Mary Peltola (incumbent) | 128,553 | 48.77% | +1,233 | 129,786 | 49.22% | +7,477 | 137,263 | 54.96% | ||
| Republican | Sarah Palin | 67,866 | 25.74% | +1,533 | 69,399 | 26.32% | +43,072 | 112,471 | 45.04% | ||
| Republican | Nick Begich III | 61,513 | 23.33% | +2,986 | 64,499 | 24.46% | -64,499 | Eliminated | |||
| Libertarian | Chris Bye | 4,570 | 1.73% | -4,570 | Eliminated | ||||||
| Write-in | 1,108 | 0.42% | -1,108 | Eliminated | |||||||
| Total votes | 263,610 | 100.00% | 263,684 | 100.00% | 249,734 | 100.00% | |||||
| Inactive ballots | 2,208 | 0.83% | +905 | 3,113 | 1.17% | +13,950 | 17,063 | 6.41% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||||||||
State offices
[edit]Governor
[edit]Incumbent Republican governor Mike Dunleavy was originally elected to the position in 2018 with 51.4% of the vote. He ran for re-election in 2022.
In Alaska's nonpartisan blanket primary, Dunleavy and his running mate, former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Corrections Nancy Dahlstrom, finished first with 40.43% of the vote. Former Democratic state representative Les Gara and Jessica Cook came in second place, with 23.06% of the vote; independent former Alaska governor Bill Walker and Heidi Drygas finished in third place with 22.77% of the vote.
Dunleavy and Dahlstrom won the general election in the first round of ranked-choice voting with 50.29% of the vote.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |
| 132,632 | 50.29% | −1.15% | |
| Democratic |
| 63,851 | 24.21% | −20.20% | |
| Independent |
| 54,668 | 20.73% | +18.70% | |
| Republican |
| 11,817 | 4.48% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 784 | 0.30% | +0.09% | ||
| Total votes | 263,752 | 100.0% | |||
| Turnout | 266,472 | 44.33% | −5.49% | ||
| Registered electors | 601,161 | ||||
| Republican hold | |||||
State legislature
[edit]Alaska State Senate
[edit]19 of the state's 20 senate seats were up for election in 2022, with some elected for two-year terms and other for four-year terms due to redistricting. The Republican party lost two seats, while the Democratic party gained two seats for an eleven to nine seat split respectively. A bipartisan coalition of eight Republicans and nine Democrats was announced, electing Gary Stevens as Senate President.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Peter Micciche (retiring) | 13 | 11 |  2 | |
| Democratic | Tom Begich (retiring) | 7 | 9 |  2 | |
| Total | 20 | 20 | |||
Alaska House of Representatives
[edit]All 40 seats of the Alaska House of Representatives were up in this election. Since 2016, the house had been governed by a coalition of Democrats, Independents, and some Republicans. The coalition was re-elected to a majority, albeit with only 20 of the total 40 seats in the chamber, with 6 Independents and 1 Republican joining all 13 Democrats. Republican Cathy Tilton was elected speaker, replacing Republican Louise Stutes.
| Party | Leader | Before | After | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition | Louise Stutes | 21[c] | 20[d] | 1 | |
| Republican | Cathy Tilton | 17 | 19 | 2 | |
| Independent Republican | David Eastman | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 40 | 40 | |||
Ballot measure
[edit]Ballot Measure 1 asked Alaskans whether a constitutional convention should be held, a vote that appears on ballots every ten years.[11] The measure was supported by Governor Mike Dunleavy and opposed by the Alaskan Democratic Party.[12]
The measure failed with 70.46% voting against.
Notes
[edit]- ^ Remained on the ballot because of his withdrawal after the deadline of 64 days ahead of the election.[5]
- ^ Suspended her campaign and endorsed Dunleavy on October 25, 2022 after allegations of sexual harassment against Pierce but remained on the ballot.[10]
- ^ Consists of 15 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 4 Independents.
- ^ Consists of 13 Democrats, 1 Republican, and 6 Independents.
References
[edit]- ^ "November 8, 2022 General Election Information". elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Regional Educational Attendance Area (REAA)". elections.alaska.gov. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "State of Alaska 2022 General Election RCV Detailed Report" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections. November 30, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
- ^ "State of Alaska 2022 GENERAL ELECTION Election Summary Report" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections. November 30, 2022. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
- ^ "Alaska Senate candidate drops out of race". The Hill. September 13, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
- ^ Brooks, James (March 19, 2022). "Alaska's first ranked-choice election will be a special vote to replace Rep. Don Young". Anchorage Daily News. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ Rakich, Nathaniel (September 1, 2022). "What Democrats' Win In Alaska Tells Us About November". FiveThirtyEight. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ "RCV Detailed Report | General Election | State of Alaska" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections. November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ "State of Alaska | 2022 GENERAL ELECTION | Election Summary Report | November 8, 2022 | OFFICIAL RESULTS" (PDF). Alaska Division of Elections. November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ Maguire, Sean (October 25, 2022). "Edie Grunwald suspends campaign as lieutenant governor candidate over Pierce sexual harassment allegations". Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ "Alaska Ballot Measure 1, Constitutional Convention Question (2022)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
- ^ James Brooks (December 13, 2021). "Alaska political insiders prepare for a fight over next year's constitutional convention vote". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved November 9, 2022.