Alaska Races Remain Uncalled as Vote Count Reaches 84%
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Updated results show Republican Senator Dan Sullivan narrowly trailing Democrat Mary Peltola 47.2% to 49%, while Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins leads the governor’s race, as the Associated Press says 84% of ballots have been counted and no statewide Alaska race has been officially called.
Democrat Mary Peltola widened her margin over Republican Senator Dan Sullivan on Tuesday after more than 24,000 additional ballots were tallied, moving to a 49%-47.2% lead in one of the nation’s final undecided Senate contests. The numbers show a continuing challenge for Republicans in a race still governed by Alaska’s complicated ranked-choice system. In the gubernatorial race, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins holds a 49.9% share of first-choice votes in a four-candidate field, ahead of Republican Bernadette Wilson at 28.8% and other contenders.
Incumbent Republican Representative Nick Begich leads the U.S. House race with 48.9% of the vote, followed by independent challenger Bill Hill at 41%; Democrat Eric Hafner trails with 7.5%. Ballot Measure 2, which would repeal ranked-choice voting and related reforms, is currently at 53% “No” and 47% “Yes”, leaving the measure’s fate unresolved as more ballots are processed.
The Division of Elections plans to release further results on Friday, and the Associated Press estimates that 84% of ballots have been counted.
"Once again, today’s ballot drop makes it abundantly clear that Mary is on her way to a decisive victory, and there is not a viable path to reelection for Senator Sullivan," campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.
Senator Sullivan’s campaign has not responded to requests for comment. A separate candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., remains far behind in the Senate race, with a vote total roughly 200 votes fewer than the gap between the two front-runners.
President Donald Trump posted on social media that Senator Sullivan had already won, a claim that conflicts with Alaska’s ranked-choice voting rules. Major news outlets, including the Associated Press, have not yet called any of Alaska’s statewide races.
Political science professor Charles Stewart of MIT’s Election Lab noted that most media organizations are likely to wait for the final tabulation of ranked-choice votes before declaring winners, emphasizing caution in reporting based on first-choice totals alone.