Alaska Senate Race Hinges on Final Ballots

Democrat Mary Peltola leads incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes in the Alaska Senate race. With 74% of ballots counted as of Friday, the margin had remained unchanged for more than 24 hours. The state remains one of only two in the nation without a confirmed Senate winner after Election Day.

Alaska utilizes a ranked choice voting system that requires candidates to secure at least 50% of the vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold with first-place votes, officials eliminate the last-place finisher and redistribute those ballots to voters' next choices. This specific tabulation process is not scheduled to begin before November 18.

Peltola told supporters that a prolonged count is standard for the state. "The results are not gonna be fast, but Alaskans are patient.. It will be weeks. We know this. We know this. This is how it’s always been. This is normal. This is Alaska normal," she said. Ballots from remote areas are often flown in or mailed, a process that historically adds time to the certification.

A separate issue involves a third-party candidate also named Dan Sullivan. The Justice Department and the FBI are investigating this duplicate name. The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to prevent the election's certification if Peltola wins. Officials claim the addition of the same-named candidate was a strategy to draw away votes.

Senator Sullivan criticized the race in a statement. "What’s the first order of business when [Peltola is] going to run for the Senate, to put together a secret scheme. To trick Alaskans to throw away their vote and rig the election," he said. Voters in Mississippi and Alaska will wait for final totals as officials complete the multi-round count.