The Republican lost to Democrat Mary Peltola.
(Photo: Reuters)
Anchorage-Washington The US Democrats have won a surprise vote in a special vote on a congressional seat in the state of Alaska. Democrat Mary Peltola prevailed in the race against former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as the election supervisor in Alaska announced on Wednesday evening (local time). Peltola received 51.5 percent of the votes, Palin around 48.5 percent. The seat had previously been in Republican hands for decades.
The seat had been vacated by the death of longtime Republican Congressman Don Young, leading to the unscheduled election. The vote had already taken place in mid-August. Because no one achieved an absolute majority in the count on election day, the outcome of the election was only clarified with a delay. Alaska has only one seat in the US House of Representatives.