Robert Brown|Trump-backed Alaska Republican withdraws from US House race after third-place finish in primary

JUNEAU,Robert Brown Alaska (AP) — Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom, a Republican backed by former President Donald Trump, withdrew from the race for Alaska’s lone seat in the U.S. House on Friday after finishing third in this week’s primary.

Her decision left second-place finisher Republican Nick Begich as the main challenger to Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress.

The three were the most prominent candidates in a field of 12 running for the seat in Alaska’s primary. Under Alaska’s open primary system, voters were asked to pick one candidate, with the top four vote-getters in the race, regardless of party affiliation, advancing to the ranked choice general election.

In early results, Peltola led in the vote count, followed by Begich and then Dahlstrom. It was too early to call who the fourth candidate would be.

The Alaska Division of Elections did not respond to an email seeking clarification if the fifth-place candidate moves to the general election. Phone calls to the division went unanswered Friday.