WorldUS midterms
Dan Sullivan edges ahead of Mary Peltola as Alaska's Senate race stays too close to call
The Republican senator led by about 1,700 votes on Wednesday morning in Alaska, but mailed and overseas ballots and a possible ranked-choice count mean the result may not be known until 18 November.
Key points
- Senator Dan Sullivan led Mary Peltola by 1,677 votes on Wednesday morning.
- A ranked-choice count is scheduled for 18 November if neither passes 50%.
- Trump has asked the Justice Department to block certification if Sullivan loses.
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has moved narrowly ahead of Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska, but the Senate race was still too close to call on Wednesday, a day after Democrats took control of both chambers of Congress.
With counting continuing on Wednesday morning in Alaska, Sullivan had 48.5% of first-choice votes to Peltola’s 47.7%, a lead of 1,677 votes. The lead had changed hands overnight: Peltola was a few hundred votes ahead in early returns before Sullivan pulled in front as more precincts reported. Republican Gerald Heikes was third with 2.2%, and a second candidate named Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, had 1.7%.
Why it could take weeks
Alaska accepts mailed ballots for 10 days after polling day, and for 15 days from overseas. The state has scheduled further count updates for 10, 13 and 18 November. If neither main candidate passes 50% of first-choice votes, the ranked-choice count is set for 18 November, when votes for the trailing candidates are redistributed. The state aims to certify results by 25 November.
Both candidates sounded confident on election night. “We are winning our state back,” Peltola told supporters. Sullivan pointed to the national mood against his party: “We’re seeing a blue wave in the lower 48.”
A fight over certification
The race has been bitter. President Donald Trump has called on the Justice Department to block certification if Sullivan loses and to investigate what he called possible voter confusion caused by the second Sullivan on the ballot. A federal judge dismissed the administration’s suit, and the department has appealed. Peltola has denied any involvement with the second Sullivan’s candidacy.
Democrats already hold a Senate majority, so Alaska will not decide control of the chamber. A Peltola win would widen that majority for the last two years of Trump’s term.