Alaska is holding its primaries as well as a special congressional election tomorrow, which will be the state’s first test of its new ranked-choice voting system. The special election to replace the late GOP Rep. Don Young features two Republicans, former Gov. Sarah Palin and businessman Nick Begich, and former Democratic state Rep. Mary Peltola.
NBC News’ Ali Vitali and Haley Talbot are reporting from The Last Frontier this week on this ranked choice special general election — where voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote on the first round, the last-place candidate is eliminated and his or her voters are distributed to the remaining candidates.
The three candidates are also competing in the Top 4 primary for a full term in the House (a fourth candidate dropped out). In this primary system, the top four vote-getters, regardless of party affiliation, advance to November.
And don’t forget to keep an eye on the Senate primary. GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her Trump-backed challenger Kelly Tshibaka are expected to make the Top 4, but they both see the primary as a chance to show their strength heading into November.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail:
New Hampshire: Three GOP Senate candidates faced off in a debate Sunday hosted by a conservative group. Two of them — retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc and cryptocurrency investor Bruce Fenton — said they support repealing the 17th Amendment, which allowed for the direct election of senators. Bolduc, Fenton and former Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith all questioned the 2020 election results as well. And Fenton backed abolishing the FBI and labeling it a domestic terror organization.
Pennsylvania Senate: Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman returned to the campaign trail Friday night for a rally in Erie, Pa., his first public appearance since suffering a stroke in May. Oz’s campaign reserved $1.8 million in TV ads from October through Election Day, per AdImpact. Oz has also been mostly steering clear of his party’s controversial gubernatorial nominee, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, NBC News’ Allan Smith reports.
Hawaii Governor: Lt. Gov. Josh Green won the Democratic primary for governor to replace term-limited Democratic Gov. David Ige, per the Associated Press. Green beat Rep. Kai Kahele and businesswoman Vicky Cayetano for the nomination.
Pennsylvania Governor: Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro is out with a new spot attacking state Sen. Doug Mastriano for his links to a right-wing social media platform.
California-12: The New York Times reports that local Democrats are preparing for the possibility that Speaker Nancy Pelosi resigns after November (she has previously said she will not serve another term as leader of the Democratic caucus). One potential contender for the potential open House seat is Pelosi’s daughter, Christine.
Hawaii-02: Former state Sen. Jill Tokuda defeated state Rep. Patrick Branco in the Democratic primary on Saturday to succeed Kahele in Congress in the deep blue district, per the AP.
