Trump-endorsed former Alaska Gov. and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin took a commanding lead in Saturday’s special primary for the state’s only U.S. House seat.
The early results showed Palin with 29.8% of the votes, Republican Nick Begich had 19.3%, independent Al Gross had 12.5%, Democrat Mary Peltola with 7.5%, and Republican Tara Sweeney had 5.3%.
Voters whittled down the list of 48 candidates running for the seat that was held for 49 years by the late U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK).
Santa Claus, a self-described “independent, progressive, democratic socialist” who stole the headlines prior to the election, came in next with 4.5%.
The top four vote-getters advance to the general election to be held in August that will be using the ranked-choice voting format.
Trump congratulated Palin for finishing “first” in a TRUTH where he said, “Now on to the Big Show. She is GREAT!”

Palin issued a statement in a tweet where she declared, “Thank you Alaska!” along with a heart and an American Flag emoji.
“I’m looking forward to the special general election so we can highlight our ideas for fixing this country by responsibly developing Alaska’s God-given natural resources, getting runaway government spending under control, protecting human life, protecting the right to keep and bear arms, and restoring respect for individual liberty and the Constitution,” Palin said in the statement.
Thank you Alaska!
— Sarah Palin (@SarahPalinUSA) June 12, 2022pic.twitter.com/wlMSaOneqS
- Kat Timpf Updates Fans After Successful Double Mastectomy with Lighthearted Joke Post - March 20, 2025
- Pam Bondi Drops the Hammer, Announces Charges Against Three Tesla Arsonists With a Minimum Five Year Sentence - March 20, 2025
- Mike Johnson Is Re-elected as House Speaker After Two Republicans Flip Their Votes During First Round of Voting - January 3, 2025