Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich and his supporters wave campaign signs at the corner of the Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard on Nov. 4, 2024, the day before Election Day. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
President Donald Trump has endorsed incumbent Rep. Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, for reelection.
In a social media post Thursday afternoon, Trump said Begich “is doing an incredible job representing the Great People of Alaska, a State I love, and WON BIG THREE TIMES, in 2016, 2020, and 2024!”
Begich responded by posting a social media message of his own, thanking Trump for his support.
“Together we are working to Unlock Alaska’s FULL potential!” Begich wrote.
In the 2024 U.S. House election, Begich was Trump’s second choice. He initially supported Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, but when Dahlstrom withdrew from the race after finishing third in the primary election, Trump switched to Begich.
In 2024, Begich defeated incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, by 7,876 votes out of 321,846 counted, or 2.44 percentage points.
Begich is the only candidate who has formally indicated his intent to run for Alaska’s seat in the 2026 election so far.
The national Democratic Party has named Alaska as one of its top targets for the 2026 election, but no candidates have yet signed up to challenge Begich.
Campaign finance documents published by the Federal Elections Commission show Peltola as a candidate, but that is incorrect; Peltola has $20,794.30 remaining from her 2024 election run.
Begich raised more than $800,000 during the first quarter of 2025 for his reelection campaign, with much of the money coming from Republican-aligned political committees. Jeffery Hildebrand, the billionaire owner of oil and gas firm Hilcorp, also was a major contributor.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, which is supporting Begich’s reelection, said in a statement that the Trump endorsement and Begich’s fundraising shows his “growing momentum” for 2026.
Under Alaska’s elections system, all candidates run in the same primary election, and the top four vote-getters advance to the general election, where a winner is chosen by ranked choice voting.
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