Despite calls for them to drop each other in order to improve the Republicans’ chances, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will appear with fellow GOP candidate Nick Begich III on the general election ballot for the state’s lone House seat. USA vs. elected Democrats Mary Peltola and Libertarian Chris Bye. The state’s withdrawal deadline passed at 5pm on Monday, with Palin and Begitz ignoring calls to withdraw. Earlier in the day, Palin held a hurried Labor Day news conference at her Wasilla home after finishing second to Peltola last week in a special ranking election to fill the remainder of the term of the late Rep. Don Young, the long-term member of parliament. Republican who died in March. Peltola, Palin, Begich and Bye will now face each other in the November general election to serve a full two-year term in Congress starting in January. The Alaska Republican Party is encouraging Alaskans to “rank red” for the ranked general election, meaning voters would mark their ballots for both GOP candidates to try to help the party regain control of Congress . In an Instagram post Monday morning, with a white surrender flag, Palin wrote that “Republicans need to unite” and “I know when to take one for the team.” U.S. House candidates, from left, Mary Peltola, Sarah Palin and Nick Begich III participate in an Anchorage Chamber of Commerce candidate forum in June at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage. (Lauren Holmes / ADN) “I’m calling on the negative Nick Begich to get out of this race,” Palin told reporters and supporters gathered on the lawn outside her Lake Lucille home on Monday. “It does not represent the best of Alaska. He represents the good old boy network, the establishment and yes, the liberals, the liberals in the Democratic Party. Only a Democratic supporter would selfishly stay in this race after being beaten three times, three times in a row by his GOP opponent, just to allow a Democrat to hold the people of Alaska’s House seat. United States”. [ADN Politics podcast — How Mary Peltola won Alaska’s special election for U.S. House] Palin said she had no intention of dropping out of the race. “I’m sorry, Nico. I never back down, I reload,” he said. Soon after, Begich said in a written statement that he had no intention of withdrawing from the race. Palin has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who is also supporting Rep. Kelly Chibaka in her run against Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Murkowski voted to impeach Trump. The Lake Lucille press conference was held at the same spot where Palin, who was elected governor in 2006, announced her resignation as governor in July 2009. She denied Begich’s claims that she resigned to pursue a career in reality television, saying she had fought with “bogus ethics violations” and lawsuits, which meant she couldn’t implement her agenda. He said he spent the intervening years campaigning for “common-sense conservatives” across the US and rejected suggestions he had moved away from Alaska. After extensively criticizing Begich and questioning his record, she said Alaskans are “disgusted by all this negative campaigning” but that she had to speak out against Begich’s “lies” about her family and her record. Former Gov. Sarah Palin talks to media and supporters outside her home in Wasilla on Monday. (Lauren Holmes / ADN) Later Monday, Begich’s campaign released a statement saying he remains in the race: “We are confident we are on a positive trajectory to win in November,” his campaign wrote. Begich said Palin’s performance in the race was “disgraceful” as a candidate for vice president and governor, and that her high unfavorability rating among Alaska voters means she can’t win a statewide election. He previously called on Palin to retire and said Alaskans want someone “less polarizing” than the former governor. “I will continue to travel the state arguing that this election is about a choice between Mary Peltola and Nick Begich,” he added. [Watch: Alaska U.S. House candidates debate at oil and gas industry conference] Begich sought and received endorsement from the Alaska Republican Party Central Committee in April. A party spokesman said that if both candidates remain in the race, Alaskans should “rank red,” meaning vote for both Republicans, to help retain the seat. Palin on Monday again railed against Alaska’s new ranked-choice voting system, calling it “weird,” “hacky” and “cockamamie.” He said he had “absolved” Alaska voters by sending Peltola to Congress to fill out the remainder of Young’s term, effectively giving President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the power to lock up Alaska’s resources. In the days after the election, Peltola resisted being labeled a hardline Democrat, calling herself a “moderate” and “middle of the road.” Sarah Palin speaks at a news conference at her home in Wasilla on Monday. (Bob Hallinen for ADN) About half of Begich voters in the congressional special election voted for Palin as their second choice, but more than a quarter of Begich voters ranked Peltola second, crossing party lines. A fifth of his voters did not list any candidate as their second choice, contributing to Peltola’s advantage. Alaska pollsters said their survey of voters suggests Palin’s high negatives with many Alaska voters make Begich a stronger challenger to Peltola than Palin. A spokesman for Peltola’s campaign said she will travel to Washington next week and be sworn in Sept. 13 to serve out the remainder of Young’s term. Maguire reported from Juneau and Goodykoontz and Herz reported from Wasilla. Maguire and Goodykoontz are ADN reporters. Herz is a coefficient. • • • For Mary Peltola, a sudden turn in the spotlight after winning the Alaska special election in the US Democrat Mary Peltola wins US House special election, will be first Alaska Native elected to Congress A ‘good day to be a Yup’ik’: Alaska Natives celebrate Peltola’s victory in US House special election • • •
