Alaska’s Division of Elections shows Mary Peltola at 49% (118,926 votes), narrowly topping the combined totals of incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan’s 47.2% (114,676) and independent Dan J. Sullivan’s 4,027—by a little over 200 votes. Peltola still hasn’t reached the 50%+1 needed to win outright.
Where the count stands
The Hill reported that 84% of ballots were counted as of Tuesday. Journalist Byron York posted that Peltola’s lead over Sen. Sullivan stood at 4,250 votes, with two other candidates drawing 9,345 votes in total, in a Nov. 11 post on X. Broadcaster Brian Kilmeade also posted that Peltola had widened her lead as the race continued to be counted.
Ranked choice still in play
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting: if no candidate clears a majority, the last-place finisher is eliminated and those voters’ next choices are redistributed until someone crosses 50%+1. That mechanism would activate if no one reaches a majority when counting concludes.
What happens next
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy told Fox News there will be another ballot drop Friday, after which officials should have “a pretty good idea” of the race’s trajectory. He said next Wednesday, Nov. 18, is when the Division of Elections will know whether anyone has reached 50%+1; otherwise, ranked choice would begin then. “So Friday is really the big day where, I think, all of us can look at the numbers, and we can get an idea who’s actually going to win this race,” Dunleavy said.
Namesake controversy and a lawsuit
The New York Times reported last month that Democratic operatives worked with Peltola’s campaign to recruit independent candidate Dan J. Sullivan to “stack the ballot” and potentially confuse voters who intended to back Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. The Times reported that Peltola was aware of the effort, citing former campaign manager Elisa Rios, and said it reviewed text messages; Peltola’s campaign has denied involvement, per the Times account.
The Western Journal reports that the matter is now the subject of a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to block Alaska from certifying the election if Peltola wins.
Campaign posture
The Western Journal says Peltola’s campaign expressed confidence that remaining absentee, early in‑person, and questioned ballots will keep her ahead.
