Alaska governor says vote count in Senate race remains tight as ballots continue to be tallied
Governor Mike Dunleavy said the Alaska Senate contest between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan is within a few hundred votes and that additional vote batches arriving on Nov. 13 and Nov. 15 will likely determine the lead.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy told radio host John Catsimatidis that the Senate race remains "very close," with Democrat Mary Peltola leading incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan by only a few hundred votes. He said a large batch of absentee and provisional ballots is expected on Nov. 13, followed by a smaller batch on Nov. 15, and that the final certification is scheduled for Nov. 25.
"The batch next week will really determine who's going to have the lead there because, right now … candidate Peltola is up by just I think a couple of hundred votes," Dunleavy said.
The governor explained that if no candidate reaches the 50 percent threshold, Alaska's ranked-choice system will eliminate the lowest-vote candidates and redistribute their ballots. He added that state officials are reviewing the vote count for any possible irregularities, including potential perjury or misrepresentation of voter intent.
Alaska and Mississippi are the only states with Senate contests still uncalled. The race has attracted federal and congressional scrutiny after the Justice Department sued to block certification, alleging that a candidate with the same name as Sen. Sullivan was recruited to split the vote. Dunleavy ordered a state investigation, and the House Oversight Committee opened its own probe.