Former President Trump on Monday weighed in on two tight Republican House primaries in Alaska and Utah, lending his support as primary season gets into full swing.
In Alaska, Trump supported Lieutenant Governor Nancy Dahlstrom over Nick Begich III. The contested primary had echoes of the 2022 primary between Begich and former Gov. Sarah Palin, which led to Rep. Mary Peltola (D) winning the general election after both Begich and Palin ran in the general election.
“Nancy Dahlstrom will be a great legislator for the great people of Alaska, just as she was Lieutenant Governor,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
He also went after Begich, claiming he has “Democratic leanings” and criticizing him for refusing to drop out of the 2022 primary sooner, which led to an immediate runoff election using the state’s ranked-choice system, which Peltola won. I did it.
Alaska, which has one at-large representative in the House of Representatives, uses a top-four primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run on the same primary ballot. The top four will advance to the November general election, where voters will use a ranked-choice voting system to choose their preferred candidate.
Begich has said that if he gets fewer votes than Dahlstrom in the primary, he will be eliminated even if he makes it to the general election. In doing so, he would clear the way for Dahlstrom to become the de facto Republican nominee in November and allow her party to unite around her as they try to unseat Peltola.
Both parties put significant effort into the Alaska primary, which resulted in them winning a majority in the House of Representatives this November.
In Utah, Trump’s endorsement of Rep. Celeste Malloy put him in conflict with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who supported Malloy’s challenger Colby Jenkins. Although the Republican seat is safe, a major fight could signal a fundamental conflict in Utah’s Republican Party.
Maloy won the 2023 special election to replace his former boss, former Rep. Chris Stewart (R), in Utah’s 2nd District. Rep. Lee’s support of his opponent is an unprecedented move that Malloy himself criticized as “an unnecessary rift in the Utah delegation.”
Utah’s endorsement comes just hours after President Trump met with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) on Monday. Johnson publicly supported Malloy in his primary.
According to political analysts, the House of Representatives is generally considered to be taken over in November of this year. Hill/Decision Desk HQ predicts Republicans have a 61% chance of retaining control of the House.
The same forecast gave Peltola a 51% chance of retaining his seat and that the winner of the Utah primary would be safely elected.
