Alaska Senate Race Remains Tied as Count Stalls
A gap of fewer than 700 votes separates Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan with 74% of ballots counted.
By Lily Carter ·
The race for the final two Senate seats remains unresolved.
Democrat Mary Peltola held a narrow lead over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan on Friday. The margin stood at fewer than 700 votes with 74% of ballots counted. That specific margin had not changed in more than 24 hours.
Alaska and Mississippi were the only two states without a confirmed winner as polls closed on Election Day. Peltola told supporters that a slow count is standard for the state. She noted that Alaskans are patient and that the process often takes weeks.
State law requires a candidate to secure 50% or more of the vote to win. If no candidate reaches that threshold with first-place votes, officials eliminate the last-place finisher and reallocate those ballots to subsequent choices. That tabulation round will not begin before Nov. 18.
Logistical challenges also delay the final tally. Ballots from remote areas must be flown or mailed to central counting facilities. Sullivan claimed that a third-party candidate named Dan Sullivan rigged the election. He alleged that Peltola used the same name to trick voters into discarding their ballots.
The Justice Department and the FBI are investigating the third-party candidate issue. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit to block certification if Peltola wins. The suit argues that Democrats plotted to add the duplicate name to pull votes.
