Sullivan Narrows Gap in Anchorage Senate Race as Peltola Holds Thin Lead

Democrat Mary Peltola maintained a lead of 626 first choice votes over Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan in the U.S. Senate race as of 2:42 a.m. Tuesday. This margin is down from earlier reports that placed liberals further ahead. Sullivan needs fewer than 700 votes to take the lead in the race for the state's at-large congressional district.

The Division of Elections reported that 394 of 403 precincts had submitted results by that time. The figures represent first choice totals only. Ranked choice tabulations are scheduled for November 18. Officials noted that approximately 100,000 or more ballots have yet to be counted. Absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day can arrive up to 15 days later and still be counted.

Gerald Hiekes received about 2.3% of the first choice votes counted in the Senate race. Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg received about 1.7%. First choice percentages often shift as results update. Final ranked choice rounds can change outcomes if no candidate clears 50 percent in the first round.

In the race for Alaska's governor, current results show Republicans combined with 107,179 votes. Democrat Jonathon Kreiss Tomkins has 103,610 votes, or 49.2%. Bernadette Wilson leads the Republican field with 29.2% of the vote. She outperformed Dave Bronson by more than double her margin and Treg Taylor by about four times. Over 45,000 ballots are at risk of being exhausted if voters for Bronson and Taylor did not rank their preferences.

Republican Nick Begich holds a strong lead in the U.S. House race with 49.6% of counted first choice votes. Independent challenger Bill Hill trails with 40.4%. Democrat Eric Hafner, who is currently incarcerated in a New York prison, has 7.3%. Libertarian James McDermott has 2.7%.

Ballot Measure 2, which seeks to repeal the top four open primary and ranked choice voting, currently shows 51.9% no votes. The margin has tightened since the first batch of results. Ballot Measure 3, which supports citizen only voting, passed with approximately 70% of the votes. All figures are unofficial until certified by the Division.