Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola widened her lead further Friday, although she still has less than 50% of the primary vote. If so, the race will likely be decided by ranking.
Friday’s update added about 22,500 ballots to the total. The Associated Press estimates that 96% of ballots in Alaska are now counted, but it did not report that the closely watched race is now the only unresolved U.S. Senate election. She would be part of a majority of 56 members. If Sen. Dan S. Sullivan keeps his seat, he would keep the Democratic caucus at 55.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has now won the race for governor, according to a call for the race released Friday evening by the Associated Press. He currently has 50.8% of the vote in the gubernatorial race, meaning he has more votes than his three Republican rivals combined.
In the race for the House of Representatives in Alaska, Congressman Nick Begich received 47.8% of the vote. Independent Bill Hill, supported by the Democratic Party, comes at the bottom of the pack with 41.7%.
In each race where no candidate received a majority of Alaskans’ first-place votes, the Division of Elections will eliminate the candidate who finished last and reallocate those ballots to voters’ second choices. This count will take place on November 18, after the deadline for the arrival of ballots sent by post from abroad.
And Alaska’s election system will remain unchanged for now after voters rejected Ballot Measure 2, according to an AP race call.
If Peltola wins, she will become the first Alaskan elected to the U.S. Senate.
Sullivan is a two-term senator and former attorney general of Alaska. At the U.S. Capitol, he is known for his advocacy of Alaska’s resource development and his support for an expanded military and coastal presence in the North. Sullivan is also a staunch Trump ally. The president visited Wasilla last month and held a rally to promote Sullivan’s candidacy.
Legal details
The race was agitated in the last days by allegations in a New York Times report that Peltola’s team was involved in recruiting another candidate in the race, Dan J. Sullivan, to try to siphon votes from the incumbent president. Peltola has denied knowledge of the recruitment drive, which remains the subject of state and federal investigations.
The election results appear to overturn a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on October 22. This was intended to block certification if Senator Sullivan lost, pending an investigation into whether confused voters had accidentally chosen the wrong Sullivan, thereby siphoning a decisive number of votes from the senator.
However, as of Friday’s update, Peltola’s lead is more than double Dan J. Sullivan’s vote total. She got more votes than both Sullivans combined.
The DOJ is appealing a federal judge’s dismissal of the case. The government has not sought to accelerate the timetable, so no decision is expected before the new Congress is sworn in.
Meanwhile, U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman announced a criminal investigation into the other Sullivan’s recruitment, although he did not cite any specific laws that may have been broken. Gov. Mike Dunleavy also said he was investigating.
Although the investigations could create public relations turmoil around Peltola’s campaign, there are no apparent legal obstacles standing in the way of the state’s final certification of the election, scheduled for November 25.
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