Alaska Senate Race: Peltola Campaign Claims Victory Over Dan Sullivan, but AP Has Not Called Contest
JUNEAU, ALASKA — November 12, 2026. Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign is declaring that she will win Alaska’s closely contested U.S. Senate election against Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan, pointing to a lead of 4,250 first-choice votes in a recent tally. The Associated Press has not called the race, and the outcome remains unofficial.
What the vote count shows
According to results reported Wednesday, Peltola held 118,926 first-choice votes, or approximately 49%, compared with Sullivan’s 114,676 votes, or 47.2%. Other candidates include Republican Gerald Heikes and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who is not the incumbent senator. The figures represent a snapshot of an ongoing count, not a final certified result.
Peltola campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said the latest ballot release showed there was “not a viable path to reelection for Senator Sullivan.” That is the campaign’s assessment, not a conclusion independently reached by the AP.
Why the race remains uncalled
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting. If no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, lower-ranked candidates are eliminated and their ballots are transferred according to each voter’s next valid preference. Additional absentee and overseas ballots may still be counted. Ranked-choice tabulation is expected on November 18 if necessary.
Analysts caution that an election-night lead alone is not sufficient to declare a winner while outstanding ballots and ranked-choice preferences could change the outcome.
Ballot dispute adds another development
On Wednesday, an Alaska judge rejected Peltola’s campaign request for an expedited list of voters whose absentee ballots had been rejected, finding the request unreasonable given election administrators’ workload and privacy obligations. The campaign said it sought the information to ensure eligible votes were counted.
What comes next?
Alaska’s Division of Elections is expected to release another update Friday, November 13. If no candidate secures a majority, ranked-choice counting is scheduled for November 18. Until an authoritative race call or final state results, Brownstone Worldwide will identify Peltola as the leader whose campaign is claiming victory, not as the confirmed winner.
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Sources: Alaska Public Media/KTOO; Associated Press; Reuters.
