Democrat Mary Peltola, Palin, and Republican Nick Begich advanced to the November election in the House primary. It was too soon to call the fourth position. The winner of the November election will serve a two-year term.

Peltola, Begich, and Palin were also running in a special election to finish out the term of late-Rep. Don Young, which expires early next year. Young passed away in March.

The special election was voters' first opportunity to participate in ranked voting in a statewide campaign. The special election winner may not be known until at least August 31. Peltola would be the first Alaska Native woman elected to the House if she is successful.

In the special election, there were numerous write-in candidates, including Republican Tara Sweeney, who was also running in the House primary. Sweeney served as the United States Interior Department's Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs during the Trump administration.

The special election was on one side of the ballot, with primary races for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor and lieutenant governor, and legislative seats on the other.

Palin termed it "the first test case of the stupid, complex, undesired ranked-choice voting method" in a statement Tuesday evening.

Supporters of ranked voting argue that it fosters constructive campaigning, although the House contest has taken on ugly tones at times.

Begich, a businessman from a renowned Democratic family, has gone out strongly against Palin, portraying her as a celebrity seeker and a quitter; Palin resigned as governor in 2009.

The narrator of one Begich commercial claims that Alaska has endured "years of calamities," including fires and COVID-19. "One calamity we can actually avoid is Sarah Palin," the narrator continues.

In one of Palin's advertisements, the narrator refers to Begich as "negative Nick" and says Palin wants to serve in Congress "to continue Don Young's torch."

Peltola, a former legislator who most recently served on a committee tasked with rebuilding salmon resources on the Kuskokwim River, has positioned herself as a consensus builder.

She stated that one quality that will help her be a good representative is her intelligence "I am not a wealthy. I am just like any other normal Alaskan, and I am well aware of the economic challenges that Alaskans confront. My priorities are those of ordinary Alaskans."

She stated in an early Wednesday statement that while the results of the special election would not be known for some time, "We're getting closer to the main election. We will build on this momentum to form a coalition of Alaskans capable of winning in November."

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy progressed in the contest for Alaska governor, as did former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, and Democrat Les Gara. It was too soon to call the fourth position.

In a statement, Dunleavy and his running buddy, Nancy Dahlstrom, stated "is merely the beginning of the campaign. We'll look at all of the figures as they come in over the next few days to see where we need to strengthen our campaign, and we're excited to reach out to every Alaskan and win their support between now and November."

Walker is running with Heidi Drygas, while Gara is running with Jessica Cook.