Alaska Senate Count Slow as Peltola Leads
Alaska's Senate race remains close as ranked-choice counting continues and a federal lawsuit over same-name candidates was dismissed.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Elections
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With 74% of Alaska's polling stations reporting on Thursday, Democrat Mary Peltola led the Senate race with 48%, while Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R-AK) trailed her by less than one point. The state's Democratic Party chair, Eric Croft, explained the slow count on CNN.
Why it matters
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so the final winner depends on rounds of elimination until one candidate exceeds 50%, meaning the outcome is not settled by first-round totals. The dispute over an independent candidate sharing the incumbent's name has added scrutiny to the count.
With 74% of polling stations reporting, Mary Peltola held 48% in the Senate race, short of the 50% needed to win outright under ranked-choice rounds. Sen. Dan S. Sullivan trailed her by less than one point, and the final outcome will depend on how remaining ballots and eliminations are allocated.
The players
Mary Peltola
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Alaska who led the race with 48% in the partial count and has denied any wrongdoing.
Dan S. Sullivan
Republican U.S. Senator from Alaska who trailed Peltola by less than one point in the partial count.
Eric Croft
Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party who explained the state's slow vote count on CNN.
The details
A federal judge on Sunday dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration that sought to segregate votes for independent Dan J. Sullivan. The FBI has reportedly contacted people in the state about whether the two same-name candidates caused confusion, and The New York Times reported that Peltola was aware of an effort to place another Dan Sullivan on the ballot but was not directly involved. Peltola has denied any wrongdoing.
Timeline
Sunday: A federal judge dismissed the Trump administration's lawsuit over the independent Sullivan votes.
Recently: The New York Times published its report on the effort to place another Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
Thursday: Eric Croft spoke on CNN as the count stood at 74% of polling stations reporting.
Political Context
Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, which requires candidates to exceed 50% through successive elimination rounds, means the Senate outcome cannot be read from first-round totals. The dispute over same-name candidates sits on top of that structure, with critics and officials contesting how the ballot was presented.
Alaska voters will not know the Senate winner until ranked-choice rounds finish and counting concludes. Until then, the candidate with the most first-round votes may still be overtaken as lower-ranked choices are reallocated.
The takeaway
Because Alaska's Senate race depends on ranked-choice elimination rounds, the leader in an early count is not necessarily the eventual winner. Watching how remaining ballots are allocated is the clearest way to follow the result.
Further reading
For more background, see Elections coverage of how Alaska's ranked-choice system allocates votes.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Mediaite.
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