Alaska
Some Alaska Republican candidates pledge to withdraw if they aren’t atop GOP votes in primary • Alaska Beacon
In some Alaska races, Republican candidates have pledged to withdraw from the general election in November if they do not receive the top votes among fellow party members in the primary.
The most high-profile pledge was made by Nick Begich III, who is running for Alaska’s single U.S. House seat. Begich publicly pledged in April to withdraw from the race if he is bested by another Republican in the primary election. Josh Walton, Begich’s campaign manager, confirmed last week that Begich still plans to abide by his pledge.
Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom is another prominent Republican running for the U.S. House seat, which was won by Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola in 2022. Earlier this month, Dahlstrom said she will not drop out of the race if she places behind Begich in the primary. Her press team confirmed last week that her position has not changed.
Similar pledges were signed by some Republican candidates in two state legislative races in Anchorage.
Both of these pledges were written by Trevor Jepsen, who is the chief of staff to Rep. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage, and also consults part-time for campaigns. For Jepsen, the pledges are a way to “circumvent ranked choice voting” by treating the open primary like one under the old system.
In 2020, Alaskans voted to establish ranked choice voting in the state. Since then, Alaska has become nationally recognized for the system, drawing both praise and criticism.
Alaska’s ranked choice voting system is used in the general election, but not in the primary. The primary is open to all candidates, regardless of party, with voters choosing one.
The top four vote-getters in the primary advance to the general election. Then, in the general election, voters can rank up to four candidates. After the votes are counted, if a candidate receives the majority of first-place rankings, they are the winner.
However, if there is not a majority, the lowest-ranked candidate is booted from the count and their votes are reassigned to the voters’ next preference. This process repeats until there is a winner.
Right now, Jepsen is making what he described as a “main push” for candidates to commit to the pledge in Senate District H and House District 9 in Anchorage. According to Jepsen, Republican candidates in those districts risk losing because both races have multiple Republican candidates running against a member of another party.
“We can’t win that Senate seat with two Republicans in the race. The numbers don’t work out. It’s not possible,” he said. “And that district nine seat, we would have three Republicans going to the general. Even though that’s technically a Republican seat, you know, they split the vote, exhausted ballots.”
“Exhausted ballots” is a term for ballots that are not included in the final ranked choice count because the voter ranked only candidates who were already eliminated.
In Senate District H, which stretches from Ted Stevens International Airport to Campbell Lake, McKay and Liz Vasquez are the two Republican candidates on the ballot, as well as incumbent Democratic Sen. Matt Claman, D-Anchorage.
McKay signed the pledge to withdraw. Vasquez has been given the pledge but not yet signed it, and did not respond to an interview request.
According to McKay, he signed the pledge because he felt “like we could win that seat if it’s one-on-one” in the general election.
For McKay, the pledge eliminates the “complexity” created by voters with exhausted ballots. “When their ballot is exhausted, then they don’t get a second bite at the apple,” said McKay.
Meanwhile, in House District 9, which covers the Anchorage Hillside, Girdwood and Whittier, three Republicans are running against one independent. Two of those Republicans, Lucy Bauer and Brandy Pennington, have both signed the pledge.
Pennington proposed the pledge to the other candidates. The pledge was written by Jepsen, who is currently working on her campaign.
Bauer and Pennington did not respond to requests for comment.
Lee Ellis, the president of Midnight Sun Brewing Co. and the district’s third Republican candidate, was the lone Republican holdout on signing the pledge. Ellis described the pledge as an “ill-conceived effort” that ignored the voting history of the district.
Ellis said his campaign research shows that a significant percentage of House District 9 voters ranked their choices when voting in 2022. His choice to not sign the pledge, he said, is “about historical behavior.”
And while Ellis is more favorable toward open primaries, and less favorable toward ranked choice voting, he said he spoke with a number of campaign experts who advised him not to sign the pledge.
Ellis suggested that the candidates sit down after the primary election and “decide what the best pathway forward was,” but because the pledge was non-negotiable, he chose not to sign.
Anchorage attorney Scott Kendall was a key author on the 2020 legislation that launched ranked choice voting. While Kendall declined to comment on a specific race or pledge, he said that pledges such as these harm the party that is signing them.
The pledges rely too strongly, he said, on the assumption that Alaskans will always vote along party lines. “We’re a small state, people know each other. People know other people’s reputations. So this idea that you can drop out and just sort of give all of your support to another candidate seems very flawed to me,” Kendall said.
Ranked choice voting is praised for reflecting the complexities of voter identification, especially in Alaska, which has the highest share of independent voters in the country. In 2022, the first time that Alaskan voters used nonpartisan open primaries, more than half of voters split the ticket, meaning that they didn’t vote strictly along party lines.
Another issue with pledges, Kendall said, was their reliance on results from primary elections. Voter participation in primary elections is consistently lower than general elections, meaning that a candidate who receives a low number of votes in a primary could still prove very popular in the general election, when a larger group of people are voting, said Kendall.
“By taking one of your horses out of the running as a Republican Party, you’re lessening the chance the Republican Party will win,” Kendall said.
A proposed ballot measure seeks to repeal ranked choice voting. If approved by voters in November, in future elections, voters would choose only one candidate in the general election, instead of ranking multiple candidates. The state’s open primary system would also be eliminated, and political parties would be able to limit who can vote and who can run in primaries.
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FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTUU/KTVF) – Eielson Air Force Base officials confirmed that an “incident” occurred Tuesday on base involving a Republic of Korea F-16 jet, but did not specify any further as to what had happened.
Eielson officials said an investigation is currently underway, according to the base’s public affairs office.
The situation revolved around a Republic of Korea Air Force F-16D Fighting Falcon that took off around 4 p.m. Tuesday. Eielson officials said the incident occurred when the jet “departed the prepared surface and aircrew ejected,” within the fence line of the base.
Eielson officials did not say how many crew members were involved; only that the aircrew onboard were taken to Bassett Army Community Hospital for further evaluation and that emergency crews responded to the scene.
One witness described seeing what appeared to be a damaged aircraft.
Sarah Sioka was traveling southbound along the Richardson Highway around 5:26 p.m. with her husband Eldon driving when she said she saw what appeared to be a damaged aircraft on base sitting in the runway along the flight line.
At the time, Sioka said there was no fire or smoke, but she estimated 8-10 emergency vehicles nearby.
The aircraft appeared to Sioka to be an F-16.
“The nose was down on the runway, kind of looked smushed a little bit, and then the back end was … up on its wheels,” she described. “The front wasn’t on the front wheel.”
This is a developing story. Check back for more updates.
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Alaska stands as an American energy powerhouse, a vital gateway to energy dominance, economic prosperity and national security.
The 49th state holds half of U.S. coal resources, the country’s fourth-largest proved crude oil reserves, and the second-largest proved natural gas reserves behind Texas.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump recognized these untapped opportunities and issued an important executive order, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.
President Donald Trump holds up an executive order on American energy production after signing it during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on April 8, 2025. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
He declared that developing Alaska’s energy resources would help deliver price relief for Americans and create high-quality jobs for our citizens while resolving trade imbalances and bolstering the nation’s exercise of global energy dominance.
ONE STATE’S NATURAL RESOURCES CAN FINALLY PUT AN END TO AMERICA’S RELIANCE ON CHINA
America should not have to rely on foreign energy sources to fuel our cars and heat our homes. It’s expensive, and those countries end up with leverage over the United States.
Anyone who lived through the 1973 Arab oil embargo marked by long gasoline lines and fuel shortages understands this vulnerability.
Producing more of our resources – oil, gas, coal – at home lowers the price of energy used for electricity and transportation fuel, which helps bring more affordable goods and services to Americans.
President Trump’s EO ended the assault on Alaska’s sovereignty and its ability to responsibly develop these resources for the benefit of the nation. He reversed punitive restrictions implemented by the previous administration that prevented the U.S. from producing American energy on both state and federal lands in Alaska, which can now help spark an energy and economic revival.
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PURSUING ENERGY DOMINANCE — CONGRESS SHOULDN’T GET IN THE WAY
Alaska’s Energy Goldmine
All of this settled in as I traversed the great state of Alaska last week with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Sen. Dan Sullivan and the state’s governor, Mike Dunleavy.
From the Arctic Coastal Plain to the North Slope, the potential held within Alaska’s bastion of natural resources was clear.
The U.S. Geological Survey says Alaska has at least 160 billion short tons, and possibly up to 5.5 trillion short tons. Yet only one surface coal mine – the Usibelli mine – is operational, supplying about 1.2 million tons annually to neighboring states and Asian allies.
Coal mines also contain critical minerals required for our modern life, a reality unearthed by President Trump during his first term. He has already taken steps to expand sourcing critical minerals for national security.
MY FAMILY TRIED LIVING EUROPEAN-STYLE AUSTERITY. ONE STATE’S INSANE ENERGY AGENDA WANTS THAT AS A MODEL
Alaska is rich in critical minerals including graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, rare earth elements and platinum-group elements – essential to everyday products Americans demand. Flake graphite, a major component in lithium-ion battery anodes, is currently 100% imported, but Alaska could provide domestic supply.
The state is also an oil and gas titan, yet most of the natural gas produced is not brought to market because of lack of pipeline infrastructure.
During President Trump’s first term, the oil and gas industry in Alaska supported 47,300 total jobs, provided $4.6 billion in labor income to Alaska and contributed $19.4 billion to Alaska’s total gross domestic product, which was more than 35% of the state’s total GDP.
By contrast, the previous administration all but ended oil and gas drilling on the North Slope and canceled the seven remaining leases for drilling on the coastal plains, sacrificing economic growth, energy security, affordable reliable power generation and prosperity for all Alaskans.
AMERICA’S ENERGY CRISIS IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AND IT’S WORSE THAN YOU KNOW
President Trump’s vision for us to unleash oil, gas, coal and even critical minerals in Alaska could generate billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of high-paying jobs.
Producing this bounty would set us on a path to fulfill President Trump’s vision for U.S. energy dominance.
We can’t afford not to produce Alaskan energy.
Native Alaskans Have a Voice
I was fortunate to visit with the Chenega Regional Development Group, LLC and native Alaskans of the Chenega tribe on this trip. What struck me was their kindness, resilience and openness to energy development in their state.
While more than half of Alaskans live in Anchorage, Juneau or Fairbanks, most native Alaskans don’t – they inhabit much of the northern and southwestern regions.
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Native Inupiat Eskimos in Northern Alaska have said they do not want to be suspended in the 19th century, and most of the 20th when they struggled with no electricity, running water, toilets or sewage management.
They have struggled to stay warm, and in many cases, have nearly died from hypothermia when they lived without adequate energy and home heating.
All Americans must have access to adequate electricity and home heating. Climate activism cannot stand in the way of access to critical energy resources.
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We can produce and deliver energy, grow the economy, create jobs and simultaneously protect the environment. It’s not a binary choice. It’s a matter of urgency, humanity and national security.
Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential will help to power the Great American Comeback and lead America into its Golden Age of success.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM LEE ZELDIN
A conservationist from Kennebunk, Maine, died in a helicopter crash while conducting conservation work in Alaska.
The death of Shiloh Schulte, PhD,, who previously served as an elected official in Kennebunk, was announced by the Manomet Conservation Sciences. A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family, including his wife and two daughters.
He was 46.
“Shiloh was a lifelong birdwatcher, conservationist, and scientist whose passion for the natural world was infectious,” the GoFundMe, co-organized by Jonah Jill Schulte reads. “From a young age, he could be found exploring forests and wetlands with binoculars in hand, always eager to discover and share the wonders of the avian world. His dedication to protecting shorebirds and their habitats took him to some of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth, where he worked tirelessly to ensure a future for these vulnerable species.”
Schulte previously served on the Kennebunk Select Board. Schulte was elected chairman of the board in July 2022. At the time, his colleagues said he had a “really great way about him to move things forward, regardless of where he is on the spectrum of an issue.”
Schulte’s work with the Manomet Conservation Sciences included working as the coordinator for the American Oystercatcher Recovery Program. He is credited with rebuilding the American Oystercatcher, a large shorebird once believed to be locally extirpated, by 45%.
“Shiloh gave his life in the service of something greater than himself, dedicating himself to preserving the natural world for future generations,” the Manomet Conservation Sciences said.
His family said he will be remembered as more than a scientist.
“Shiloh was so much more than a scientist,” the GoFundMe page states. “He was a devoted husband and father, a loving son and brother, a generous neighbor, and a pillar of his community. Whether he was helping a neighbor with yard work, leading the town Select Board, running a marathon or inspiring others through his photography and storytelling, Shiloh gave his all—always with a warm heart and boundless energy.”
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