Democrat Mary Peltola Holds Narrow Lead Over Sen. Dan Sullivan as Alaska Count Drags On
Democrat Mary Peltola held a razor-thin lead over Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan on Wednesday in Alaska’s Senate race, which remains uncalled and could take weeks to settle.
In partial results posted at 8:54 a.m. Eastern Wednesday, with 77% of the expected vote counted, Peltola had 102,701 votes, or 48.2%, to Sullivan’s 102,075, or 47.9%, according to The New York Times.
That is a 626-vote margin. Republican Gerald Heikes had about 2.3%. The Associated Press has not called the race, and CBS News rates it a toss-up.
The lead has already changed hands. Peltola led early in the count before Sullivan overtook her at one point overnight, the AP reported. Both candidates remain below the 50% needed to win outright.
If no candidate tops 50% of first-choice votes, Alaska’s ranked-choice system kicks in, and voters’ backup choices are counted.
Weeks of Counting Ahead
Alaska accepts overseas ballots postmarked by Election Day for up to 15 days. That makes Nov. 18 the deadline for final receipt of ballots and the date for any ranked-choice tabulation, the AP reported.
Election night totals have historically represented about 70% of the final vote, and leaders after election night have gone on to lose, Alaska Public Media reported. Officials plan updated counts Nov. 10, Nov. 13 and Nov. 18.
“It won’t be hours, it won’t be days, it will be weeks,” Peltola told reporters early Wednesday, CBS News reported. Sullivan told supporters, “We’re probably going to have some long weeks.”
On election night, Sullivan was defiant despite the national results. “Lower 48 blue wave. But we’re different,” he said. Peltola told her supporters, “We are getting our government back.”
The race has been shadowed by a third candidate, retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who shares a name with the senator. He won 2.5% of the vote in the August open primary and qualified for the ballot.
The New York Times reported that Peltola’s campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting him. Peltola has denied it, and he has denied any contact with her campaign.
Sen. Sullivan called it “the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of the state of Alaska” while voting in Anchorage on Tuesday. “The whole scheme treats all of us Alaskans with disrespect,” he said.
At Trump’s direction, the Justice Department sued to block certification of a possible Peltola win. A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, and the department has appealed, the AP reported.
Alaska’s Republican-run state government had urged the judge to toss the case, calling it “meritless,” according to the AP. The Justice Department has also confirmed a criminal investigation but has not said what crimes it is examining.
Democrats already clinched the Senate majority, so Alaska will decide the size of their margin. Mississippi’s race is also uncalled, with Democrat Scott Colom leading Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 43 votes with about 96% counted, the AP reported.
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