GOP's Begich Flips Alaska Seat; House at 220-213 With 2 Races to Call

Republican Nick Begich has officially defeated Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, to flip a House of Representatives seat.

Republicans maintain the majority at 220-213 with two races left to call.

"The race for Alaska's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives has now been called — Alaskans have spoken," Begich wrote Saturday on X. "It will be the honor of a lifetime to have the opportunity to serve as your voice in Congress."

Newsmax called the race that was headed to ranked-choice voting rounds 2 or 3 because Begich had 48.9% support and would be shy of the 50% needed to clinch the victory in the first round of the ranked-choice voting system.

The House majority will be altered by the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and the next Congress will start with one less Republican in place than 2024 election total.

Gaetz's 1st Congressional District in Florida is generally a Republican stronghold, but a special election will take place. The minimum legal time for that special election will be six weeks, with a primary and a general special election required to be two weeks apart.

But Begich's victory in Alaska flips a seat and expands the GOP majority outside of the Gaetz loss.

"The path forward begins with a unified understanding of what Alaska can do for the rest of our nation," Begich's statement continued. "Together, we will deliver results for Alaska, creating long-term jobs, protecting our way of life, and playing our part to put America back on track.

"Alaska's resources are not only a blessing for the people of our state, they are vital to the strength and independence of our entire nation. We must work together — across our geographies and communities — to unlock Alaska's potential and bring meaningful opportunity to every Alaskan.

"The challenges we have faced are real, but so is our resolve as we work to overcome them. Whether Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, AIP, or independent; whether on one side of an issue or another, thank you to the thousands of Alaskans who worked so hard to be involved in this election effort."

California has the two remaining seats left to be determined, Districts 13 and 45. Both are seats held by Republicans, Reps. John Duarte, R-Calif., and Michelle Steel, R-Calif. Both were leading for days, but Steel has recently fallen behind by a scant 36 votes in the latest Decision Desk HQ tally.

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