Alaska Senate Race Hinges on 700 Votes Amid Ballot Confusion

Alaska’s Senate race remained undecided on Friday, with fewer than 700 votes separating the top two contenders after 74% of ballots were tallied. Democrat Mary Peltola held a slight lead over Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, a margin that had not shifted in more than 24 hours. As other states settled into clear color, Alaska and Mississippi stood as the only two jurisdictions without a confirmed Senate winner.

Peltola told supporters that the slow pace was expected 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. The delay stems partly from Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which requires a candidate to secure at least 50% of the vote. If no one reaches that threshold on first-place votes, officials eliminate the last-place finisher and reallocate those ballots. That process will not begin until Nov. 18.

Logistical hurdles also contribute to the wait, as ballots from remote areas must be flown or mailed into the count. A complicating factor emerged this year when a second Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot as a third-party option. The Justice Department and the FBI have launched an investigation into the duplicate name. Sullivan argued that the addition was a deliberate strategy to confuse voters. “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.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to prevent the election from being certified if Peltola wins, claiming Democrats plotted to add the same-named candidate to siphon votes. Officials continue to process the remaining ballots while the legal and counting battles unfold in parallel.