Midterms 2026 · Report · File No. 261104-798
Alaska Senate race still uncalled as Peltola and Sullivan run neck and neck
Democrats have won the Senate majority, but Alaska's contest between Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan remains too close to call, leaving the final size of the Democratic majority unsettled.
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Democrats are projected to win control of both chambers of Congress, but the Alaska Senate race between Democrat Mary Peltola and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is still uncalled and could take days, leaving the final size of the Democrats' new Senate majority unsettled 1.
As of 10:09 p.m. Alaska time, Sullivan led Peltola by 2,470 votes. He had 48.7 percent (97,411 votes) to her 47.5 percent (94,941), according to unofficial results from the Alaska Division of Elections. Republican Gerald L. Heikes had 2.1 percent and independent Daniel J. Sullivan had 1.7 percent, with 280 of 403 precincts reporting 1.
CNN, CBS News, ABC News and Decision Desk HQ have projected that Democrats will control the Senate. Before Tuesday, Alaska looked like it could decide the majority. Now it will help decide the margin 1.
If Peltola wins, she is expected to be the 55th or 56th Democratic senator. A Sullivan win would keep the margin narrower and give Republicans a firmer base for 2028 1.
From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 142 plays · captioned, with the source named
Why the count is slow
Election night results typically make up about 70 percent of the overall vote, consultant Burke Croft told Alaska Public Media. About 131 of the state's 400-plus precincts count ballots by hand. Absentee ballots mailed from overseas can arrive up to 15 days after Election Day 1.
Registered Democrats voted early at a higher rate than Republicans, and some advance votes are counted after Election Day, the Alaska Beacon reported. As a result, the first results are expected to lean more Republican than the final count 1.
The state plans to update its count on November 10, November 13 and November 18. If no candidate finishes above 50 percent, the state tabulates ranked choices on November 18. The last-place candidate is eliminated, and each of those ballots moves to the voter's next choice. That repeats until one candidate has a majority. The roughly 7,500 votes now going to Heikes and the second Sullivan could decide the race. State officials aim to certify the results by November 25 1.
The second Sullivan on the ballot
The second Sullivan, Daniel J. Sullivan, is a retired schoolteacher who has lived in Petersburg since 1980. He's running as an independent and is listed on the ballot alongside the senator, Dan S. Sullivan, who is marked as the incumbent 1.
In June, the state elections director disqualified Daniel J. Sullivan, finding he had filed "with a purpose to confuse or mislead." Two state courts reversed that decision and restored his name to the ballot 1.
The New York Times reported that Democratic operatives linked to Peltola's campaign recruited him. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied any involvement. Peltola's campaign said: "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." Daniel J. Sullivan has rejected the idea that he is a decoy 1.
A lawsuit waiting in the wings
A Peltola win could also revive a legal fight. The Justice Department sued, arguing that if Peltola beats the senator by fewer votes than the second Dan Sullivan received, his votes may have changed the outcome. A judge dismissed the suit, and the department plans to appeal. For now, Sullivan leads 1.
In dismissing the Justice Department's suit, U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason wrote that setting aside ballots that ranked him would "clearly violate Alaskans' right to a secret ballot" 1.
A New York Times/Siena poll, conducted October 23-30, had Peltola at 48 percent and Sullivan at 46 percent, within the margin of error. Russell Luke of the University of Alaska Fairbanks told Newsweek the race was rated a toss-up "by all the sources I've seen" 1.
Before the election, Forrest Nabors of the University of Alaska Anchorage foresaw a split outcome. "It would not surprise me if the Democrats win the senate majority but Sullivan retains his seat," he told Newsweek 1.
That matters because the size of a Senate majority shapes what that majority can do, and Alaska is one of the seats still in play 1. Democrats winning control of the Senate leaves Trump's agenda, even in the postelection lame-duck session of Congress, in limbo 2.
The Record
- Polls close in Alaska's Senate race between Sen. Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola 1.
- As of 10:09 p.m. Alaska time, Sullivan led Peltola by 2,470 votes with 280 of 403 precincts reporting 1.
- The state plans to update its count 1.
- The state plans to update its count and, if no candidate is above 50 percent, tabulate ranked choices 1.
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Sources
- Newsweek, “Democrats Won Congress. Here’s Why the Alaska Senate Race Still Matters” (2026-11-04). newsweek.com/democrats-congress-alaska-senate-race-12660748
- The Hill, “Democrats win Senate majority” (2026-11-04). thehill.com/homenews/senate/6185385-democrats-win-senate-mid
- The Guardian, “What can Democrats actually do if they win Congress?” (2026-11-04). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/02/democrats-midterms-congr
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
Trump demands Peltola quit Alaska Senate race and be prosecuted over spoiler report
Six days before the midterm election, the president seized on a New York Times report that Peltola's campaign and Senate Democratic aides helped recruit a second Dan Sullivan. Peltola and the DSCC deny involvement, and a federal judge could rule on the Justice Department's lawsuit this week.
Justice Department asks judge to set aside Alaska ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan
The filing, five days before the midterm election, asks that ballots ranking the second Dan Sullivan be preserved and kept separate while the government investigates whether voters were confused. Alaska's governor has already ordered a state investigation into Mary Peltola's campaign.
Sullivan campaign and NRSC form Alaska Senate recount fund as race remains unsettled
Sen. Dan Sullivan's campaign and the Republican Senate campaign arm filed to create a recount fund. It is the latest sign Republicans may contest the Alaska result if Mary Peltola wins.
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