Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump in her primary bid for the state's only U.S. House bid, said Friday she was dropping out of contention after she and a fellow GOP candidate split the vote this week.
"I entered this race because Alaskans deserve better representation than what we have received from Mary Peltola in Washington," Dahlstrom, a Republican, said in her statement, posted on X, reports The Anchorage Daily News.
"At this time, the best thing I can do to see that goal realized is to withdraw my name from the general election ballot and end my campaign," the lieutenant governor said.
In the votes that have been counted so far from Tuesday's primary, Dahlstrom, a Republican, was in third place with 20% of the vote against Peltola, a Democrat, who was leading the race with 50%. Republican businessman Nicholas Begich was in second place with 27%.
In Alaska, an open primary and ranked-choice voting system sends the top four finalists in the primary race on to the general election.
With Dahlstrom out of the race, that sets up Petola to defend her seat against Begich and another Republican, Matthew Salisbury, along with Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Howe.
Dahlstrom has not backed Begich.
The National Republican Congressional Committee had endorsed Dahlstrom, but by Friday morning, it was supporting Begich as a "great choice" for the state.
Dahlstrom, meanwhile, said that "we know that Mary Peltola certainly isn't up to the challenge" of returning to the House.
National Republican groups had poured millions of dollars to boost Dahlstrom's campaign; and in his endorsement message, Trump bashed Begich, accusing him of having "Democrat tendencies.
"He refused to get out of this race last time, which caused the Republicans to lose this important seat," Trump said.
NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson lauded Dahlstrom, saying she has led a "life of service" and had reached a "selfless decision" to step out of the race.
"[This] puts Alaskans and the team first, allowing voters to unite around a single Republican," he said.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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