On Thursday, President Donald Trump urged that votes cast for two other Senate candidates in Alaska be awarded to Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan. This comes as Sullivan finds himself trailing Democrat Mary Peltola by a mere 637 votes.
The election outcome remains undecided, particularly due to Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system complicating an initial count.
Trump expressed his views on Truth Social, stating, “The vote totals for the fake Dan Sullivan, plus the other ‘slug’ that the Dems put on the ballot, should be immediately given to the real Dan Sullivan, and the election is over – he easily wins!” He insisted that this approach was the only fair resolution.
With approximately 75% of the votes tallied, Peltola has garnered 102,962 votes (48.2%), while Sullivan stands at 102,325 votes (47.9%).
Independent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has received 3,600 votes (1.7%), which is more than the margin between the leading candidates, while another Republican candidate, Gerald Heikes, collected 4,846 votes (2.3%).
The closeness of the race has led Republicans to argue that the independent’s appearance on the ballot was intended to mislead voters and detract votes from Sullivan. However, Peltola denies any involvement in recruiting that candidate.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting allows voters to rank candidates by preference. Should no candidate achieve a majority of first-choice votes, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Votes for that candidate are then reassigned to the voters’ next preferences until a candidate secures a majority.
This implies that Sullivan could gain additional votes from eliminated candidates, depending on how voters prioritized their choices.
The ranked-choice counting is slated for November 18. Alaska allows absentee ballots mailed from within the U.S. for up to 10 days after Election Day and overseas ballots for up to 15 days, provided they are postmarked by Election Day.
The implications of this election extend beyond state lines, especially with Democratic control looming in Congress. Currently, Democrats hold 54 Senate seats and could potentially reach 56, depending on Peltola’s success and other ongoing races.
A 56-seat majority, however, would still fall short of the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster, necessitating some Republican backing to pass significant legislation.
