Democrats Won Congress. Here’s Why the Alaska Senate Race Still Matters
Summary
Democrats were projected to control both chambers of Congress, but Alaska’s close Senate race could affect the size of their Senate majority. Unofficial results showed Democrat Mary Peltola ahead of Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan by 298 votes, with many ballots still uncounted and ranked-choice tabulation possible.Key Facts
- At 9:24 p.m. Alaska time, Peltola had 79,017 votes, or 48.3 percent, and Sullivan had 78,719 votes, or 48.1 percent.
- A total of 211 of Alaska’s 403 precincts had reported at that point.
- If Peltola wins, she would give Democrats an Alaska Senate seat for the first time since Mark Begich lost to Sullivan in 2014.
- The article said a Peltola win could make her the 55th or 56th Democratic senator; a Sullivan win would leave Republicans with a narrower Democratic majority to contend with.
- The Justice Department sued over the ballot listing of independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, whose votes it argued could affect the result; a judge dismissed the suit and the department planned to appeal.
- Alaska planned to update its vote count on November 10, 13 and 18, with state officials aiming to certify results by November 25.
- If no candidate receives more than 50 percent, Alaska will use ranked-choice tabulation on November 18, eliminating the last-place candidate and transferring those ballots to voters’ next choices.
- Overseas absentee ballots can arrive up to 15 days after Election Day, and the article said past Alaska Senate races had taken about two weeks to call.
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