Alaska’s U.S. House candidates face each other three times in three days this week

Forum moderator Michelle Egan of the Alyeska Pipeline Service Co., Republican challenger Nick Begich III and Democratic U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola are on the stage at the beginning of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association’s candidate forum on Aug. 28, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Kitchenman/Alaska Beacon)

Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, and her leading challenger, Republican U.S. House candidate Nick Begich, will appear on stage at three election forums and debates this week. 

Alaskan Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe will also participate in one of the forums. Eric Hafner, the imprisoned out-of-state Democrat who is also on the U.S. House ballot, will not be present at any of the events.

Because the Alaska Federation of Natives canceled its U.S. House forum, Alaska’s two main U.S. House candidates are scheduled to participate in only five face-to-face meetings during the general election. One has already taken place.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Begich, Howe and Peltola are scheduled to participate in the Kodiak Chamber of Commerce’s fisheries debate. The debate, held at Kodiak’s Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium, is a regular feature of Alaska’s electoral calendar. 

The debate will be streamed online and broadcast over the radio by KMXT-FM. 

Fishing is a particularly high-profile topic this year, with Interior Alaska salmon runs continuing to suffer from an ongoing crisis, trawl fisheries under fire for bycatch issues, and the sustainability of the fishing industry in question.

Two days later, the Alaska Chamber will host Peltola and Begich in Fairbanks for a noon Thursday forum focused on economic issues. Organizers said it will not be broadcast.

Hours later, in Anchorage, Peltola and Begich will appear in the “Debate for the State,” a regular event hosted by KTUU-TV and Alaska Public Media. The debate will air live on statewide TV and radio starting at 7 p.m.

Lori Townsend, the chief editor of Alaska Public Media, and Rebecca Palsha, senior anchor for KTUU-TV, Alaska’s News Source, will moderate the hourlong debate.

In addition to economic questions, the candidates will share their platforms on reproductive issues, immigration, political divisions and other social topics. 

Townsend said Howe will not participate in the event; organizers restricted participation to candidates who received at least 5% of the vote in the August primary election.