The Associated Press called the race for Begich shortly after 9 p.m. EST, with 95% of the vote counted. Begich received 48.4% to Peltola’s 46.4% at the time the race was called. Independent John Wayne Howe and Democrat Eric Hafner received 3.9% and 1%, respectively.

After two unsuccessful bids for the seat, Alaska’s ranked choice voting system yielded a result in Begich’s favor. Under the voting method, voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than choosing a single candidate. If no candidate receives 50% in the first round, votes are reallocated as candidates with the fewest first-choice votes are eliminated.

Ranked choice voting last cycle split the vote between Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin. That, combined with Peltola’s appeal to independents and conservative voters, allowed the now-ousted congresswoman to win both the special and general 2022 elections.

Begich previously celebrated his election win on Nov. 16, the day Decision Desk HQ projected he would win. The Associated Press took four more days to call the race, which was one of the narrowest in the country. Begich comes from a long line of politicians — his grandfather represented Alaska in the House and his uncle, Mark, was a Senator for Alaska.

“The ranked choice voting tabulation has been completed and has confirmed our win beyond any residual doubt. I am truly honored to have earned your trust and support,” Begich said in a statement Wednesday night.

“Alaska’s potential is unmatched, but much work remains for Alaskans to fully realize that potential. I am committed to fighting for our jobs and economy, protecting our unique way of life, and ensuring that our voices are heard loud and clear in Washington.”

Peltola conceded in a statement saying, “Working for Alaska as a member of our federal delegation has been the honor of my life.”

“The path ahead will not be built by one person or three people working for all of Alaska but by all Alaskans working together to build a future that works for all of us,” she said. Alaska’s congressional delegation has three members.

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“Nick, I’m rooting for you,” she said. “Please don’t forget when D.C. people keep telling you that you are one of three. You are actually one of more than seven hundred thousand Alaskans who are ready to fight for our state, myself included.”

Begich will reassume the long line of Republicans in the House representing Alaska, which Peltola interrupted with her two-year term.

The convoy featured a mix of the typical black Chevys and Fords plus the lone electric vehicle. Presidents have long traveled via motorcade but typically use uniform, bulletproof vehicles for the president’s safety. Cybertrucks aren’t completely bulletproof but will protect from lighter gunfire. This inclusion of a Cybertruck was a nod to SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who welcomed Trump to the launch site.

Musk has been tapped by Trump to head the Department of Government Efficiency alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The Tesla CEO endorsed Trump shortly after the first assassination attempt against the president-elect and started a pro-Trump super PAC. Before the launch, the two were most recently together at UFC 309 on Saturday.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for comment on whether the Cybertruck will be among the presidential vehicles used once Trump is sworn back into office.

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During the third quarter, the Cybertruck was the No. 3 most popular EV sold. It followed Tesla’s other two models, Y and 3, respectively. Still, Tesla is just shy of 50% of the total EV sales in the United States.

Influencer Adin Ross presented Trump with a Cybertruck of his own, with a stainless steel frame featuring a photo of the moment after a bullet grazed the former president’s ear. Despite Musk’s nomination, Trump has been public with his opposition to any sort of EV mandate.

A Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals judge said Monday that the Washington-based Olympus Spa’s female-only policy is akin to a “whites-only” policy.

Olympus Spa, a Christian Korean-run operation, is currently arguing in court that its mandate limiting patrons to “biological females” is protected by constitutional rights. The legal counsel of the spa appeared before a three-member panel of the Ninth Circuit on Monday due to the state’s Human Rights Commission accusing the business of discrimination in 2020.

The spa was accused of discrimination for denying services to a transgender woman who had not undergone sex-reassignment surgery, conservative radio host Jason Rantz reports.

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Judge M. Margaret McKeowna, a Bill Clinton appointee, slammed the female-only admissions policy.

“If you have a law that says ‘White applicants only,’ this is ‘biological women entrance only.’ It seems to me they’re quite parallel there,” McKeown said. 

“And you can’t have ‘White people only’ come into my restaurant, and then you say, ‘Well, no, we have a religious, spiritual nature to our restaurant, and when you get there, we serve you special food.’ This seems quite different.”

According to Rantz’s report that cited court documents, the spa restricts transgender women except for those who have “gone through post-operative sex confirmation surgery.” 

Furthermore, Olympus Spa’s rule maintains the policy is “essential for the safety, legal protection, and well-being of our customers.”

Olympus Spa, a Christian Korean-run operation, is currently arguing in court that its mandate limiting patrons to “biological females” is protected by constitutional rights.  (Google Maps (Screenshot))

The Christian-run service provides a Korean body scrub service called seshin that requires nudity. The owners maintain religious convictions that only married men and women can be unclothed in the same vicinity as each other. Their policy bars biological males from entering the facility. However, according to its website, “biological women are welcome” as well as those with “post-operative sex or gender confirmation surgery.”

TRANSGENDER WOMAN ACCUSES HOOTERS OF SEX-BASED DISCRIMINATION FOR REFUSING TO HIRE HER

Legal counsel for the spa operators argued in court that their nudity policy is consistent with state laws and codes. 

“It is the spa’s position that the women sharing in this cultural and spiritual experience have associational and free exercise rights,” the spa’s attorney, Kevin Snider of Pacific Justice Institute, said during arguments Monday.

“It’s not really ‘biological women are welcome,’” McKeown also said on Monday, challenging Snider’s interpretation of the spa’s policy.

The state’s Human Rights Commission accused Olympus Spa of discrimination against a transgender woman in 2020. (Adobe Stock)

“It means nonbiological women are not welcome. I mean, that’s the reality.”

The remarks made in the hearing on Monday came after the state forced the spa to accept men if they identify as women. 

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The spa’s counter-lawsuit against the Human Rights Commission was struck down by a Washington-state judge last year. In an attempt to uphold their female-only policy, the spa argued that their Constitutional rights were violated.

Olympus Spa has locations in Tacoma and Lynnwood.