Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin lost to Democrat Mary Peltola on Wednesday in a special election to fill Alaska’s only U.S. House seat in a surprising defeat.
Peltola, a former state lawmaker, was the winner according to the Alaska Division of Elections. She defeated Palin by three percentage points at 51.47 percent; Palin received 48.53 percent.
Peltola will finish the remainder of the term of Republican Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska), which expires at the end of this year. Young left the seat vacant when he died in March this year at the age of 88.
Peltola will later face re-election on Nov. 8. Palin and Republican Nick Begich III are expected to vie for the House seat for the next two years.
The election marked the first time the state used a ranked-choice system where voters list candidates in order of preference on the ballot. To be declared the winner, a candidate must clear 50 percent of the vote.
