Peltola and Kreiss-Tomkins Expand Leads as Alaska Ballot Count Continues
Democrat Mary Peltola widened her margin over Republican Dan Sullivan in the Senate race, while Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins surpassed 50% of first-choice votes in the governor’s contest after additional ballots were counted.
Mary Peltola increased her advantage over Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dan S. Sullivan after Alaska’s Division of Elections added roughly 5,000 ballots to the count, bringing the total tallied to more than 256,000. Peltola now holds 49.1% of first-choice votes, compared with Sullivan’s 46.8%, and her lead expanded by about 5,800 votes.
In the governor’s race, Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins recorded over 50% of first-choice votes following the latest count, leading the three Republican candidates. Kreiss-Tomkins said he expects to maintain a majority after all absentee ballots are processed.
The additional ballots were largely from Juneau and nearby Southeast Alaska, areas that have favored both Peltola and Kreiss-Tomkins. Among the Republican gubernatorial candidates, Bernadette Wilson has 28.7% of first-choice votes, Dave Bronson 13.7%, and Treg Taylor 7.3%.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system will determine the final outcome if no candidate reaches a majority of first-choice votes. Preliminary data suggest Peltola would remain ahead of Sullivan even after potential redistribution of lower-ranked votes.
In the race for Alaska’s sole U.S. House seat, Republican incumbent Nick Begich leads with 48.5% of first-choice votes, while independent challenger Bill Hill holds 41.1%.
Voters rejected a measure to repeal the state’s election system, with 52.8% voting against it, and supported a measure confirming that voters must be U.S. citizens, garnering 68.9% approval. Several legislative contests remain too close to call, but early results indicate that Democratic-led bipartisan majorities will likely retain control of both chambers of the Alaska Legislature.