Republican Jeremy Bynum has won the race to represent southern Southeast Alaskans in the state legislature, following the Division of Elections final vote count Wednesday, which was the state’s deadline to receive absentee ballots mailed from overseas.
Several races went to ranked choice tabulation Wednesday, meaning voters’ second, third, or fourth choice votes were counted to determine the first place winner. In each of those races, the candidate with the most votes before tabulation held the lead.
But since Bynum maintained a simple majority lead in the House District 1 race, just shy of 52%, he won the race outright. Independent Agnes Moran finished with about 24% of the vote, followed by independent Grant EchoHawk with about 23%.
Bynum will replace independent Rep. Dan Ortiz in representing a district that includes Ketchikan, Saxman, Metlakatla, Wrangell, Hyder and Coffman Cove.
In a social media post Wednesday, Bynum thanked his supporters, and commended Moran and EchoHawk for running hard-fought, respectful campaigns. He wrote that he was committed to “fostering open lines of communication, even with those who may not share all of my views.”
The results of the election will remain unofficial until they are certified, which is scheduled to happen on Nov. 30.
