Alaska Special Election – Opinion

It may not be Tuesday, but it’s an election day — in Alaska. To fill the seat of Republican Don Young (88), the Special Election takes place today. The winner will fill the final four months of Young’s term.

Here’s the kicker, though — it’s only one round of the process. The top four vote-getters — out of 48! — will move on to the general election on August 16th — which is when the primary for the Next term also takes place

Here’s the second kicker —

because the election is being conducted predominantly by mail and ballots don’t need to be received until June 21, we won’t know which candidates have advanced to the second round until later in the month.

And here’s the added element of intrigue: Sarah Palin (former Governor of Alaska and Senator John McCain’s 2008 running mate) is one of the top contenders for the seat. While her popularity may not be what it once was in the state, she does have the added advantage of Donald Trump’s endorsement.

Nick Begich III, whose father was Don Young’s incumbent, and Al Gross (who ran in the 2020 U.S. Senate election) are two other potential candidates. Oh — and did I mention there’s a candidate named Santa Claus in the mix as well?

Despite the delay promised by the later deadline for mail-in ballots, we’ll carry the live results here. Get your popcorn.