A group with close ties to House Democrats is spending nearly $1 million to wade into the top-four primary for Alaska’s at-large congressional district — a gambit that could help protect incumbent Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola.
Vote Alaska Before Party, a group that last cycle was funded primarily by Democrats’ top congressional super PAC, is airing TV, radio and digital ads that will elevate three GOP candidates with conservative voters and better position them to win top slots in the state’s Aug. 20 primary. The ads make an abortion rights-centered attack on Republican frontrunners Nancy Dahlstrom, Nick Begich — and also an underfunded, frequent candidate named Gerald Heikes.
Alaska’s esoteric electoral system sends the top four primary vote-getters to the general election, regardless of their party affiliation. The general election is conducted via ranked-choice voting, a system that helped propel Peltola to Congress in 2022 via a special election.
The group appears to be attempting to game Alaska’s complicated electoral system to ensure Peltola has the best odds of prevailing in November. There are a dozen candidates vying for the top four primary slots, including four Republicans, several with no party affiliation and others aligned with the No Labels Party or the Alaska Independence Party.
If Peltola advances to the general election with three Republican candidates, she will not have to compete with centrist candidates for those crucial independent voters. And if three Republicans are splitting the GOP vote it is easier for Peltola to nab first place — especially if some Republican voters decline to rank their second or third choices as some did in 2022.
Among Begich voters in the 2022 general election, 22 percent did not choose another candidate — so their votes did not factor into the race when it came down to Peltola and former Gov. Sarah Palin as the final two candidates.
Peltola is among the most endangered Democrats in Congress, representing a state that former President Donald Trump won handily in 2020 and 2016. Democrats need to flip just a handful of seats to retake the House, and they can scarcely afford to lose any incumbents like Peltola.
Vote Alaska Before Party received most of its funding in 2022 from House Majority PAC, a group connected to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. It will not have to disclose the source of its current funding until mid-October, under campaign finance law.
National Republicans are pushing for Dahlstrom, the current lieutenant governor, who was also endorsed by Trump. Begich, the descendent of a family of prominent Democratic elected officials, lost to Peltola in 2022.
Both Dahlstrom and Begich have run well-funded campaigns. And Begich has said that he will drop out of the race if finishes behind Dahlstrom in the August 20 primary. Both are likely to claim two of the top four slots.
But Heikes is a longshot perennial candidate. He has not reported raising any money with the Federal Election Commission and likely stands to gain the most in the primary from this advertising.
Democrats would prefer to see Peltola face Begich, whom she’s already beaten once. Spending for Heikes could push voters away from Dahlstrom towards him and make it more likely that Begich is the top Republican vote-getter. But the complicated primary system is tough to easily influence, and it’s not clear if the spending will affect the results.
The focus of the messages is on abortion — and the ads could damage the Republicans’ images on those issues, even if they fail to elevate Heikes into the general election. Peltola is a supporter of abortion rights and has made that a key component of her past campaigns. The 30-second TV spot, which began airing Tuesday, knocks Dahlstrom, Begich and Heikes for opposing exceptions to abortion for rape, incest or the life of the mother.
Jim Lottsfeldt, the treasurer for Vote Alaska Before Party, said in a statement wants “all Alaskans to know that all of the Peltola challengers” oppose abortion rights. “Our state has lots of pro-choice Republicans — and Peltola’s commitment to freedom and choice stands her apart from the so-called MAGA crowd,” he said.
A separate digital ad from the super PAC is a more overt attempt at influencing GOP primary voters, touting Heikes’ opposition to abortion rights and support for eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood.
