Alaskans wait for more votes in US Senate, governor's races. Both could
go to ranked tabulations
[November 05, 2026]
By BECKY BOHRER
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaskans settled in Wednesday to await more
results from key races on the general election ballot, including a
bitterly fought U.S. Senate campaign and an open seat for governor.
A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska's unique system of open
primaries and ranked vote general elections also was too early to call.
If no candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, rankings will
come into play. Alaska accepts ballots from overseas voters for up to 15
days after the election, making Nov. 18 the date targeted by state
elections officials to tabulate under the ranked vote system.
The major candidates in the Senate race are two-term Republican Sen. Dan
Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola.
In the governor's race, former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is
trying to become the first Democrat elected to the office in a
generation. He faces three other Republicans, including business owner
Bernadette Wilson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Litigation and allegations of partisan tricks rocked the Senate race
The contest dominated headlines ahead of Tuesday's election and
attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice.
With less than two weeks before Election Day, the agency sued at
President Donald Trump’s direction seeking to block certification of the
race if Sullivan loses. The lawsuit cited potential confusion with
another Sullivan on the ballot, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan.
A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit, but the department has appealed.
Suspicions long held by the senator and his supporters that the
lesser-known Sullivan was running to sow confusion gained new life last
week, when The New York Times reported that top political aides to
Peltola appeared to be involved in recruiting him.
The report was based on interviews with a former Peltola campaign
manager, who was fired shortly before the August primary. It also cited
text messages and campaign finance documents indicating that an
operative trying to recruit candidates was paid by a group backing
Peltola.
Federal authorities have confirmed the existence of a criminal
investigation in the matter.
Peltola denied any involvement. Dan J. Sullivan, who has denied running
at the behest of Democrats, has not responded to messages seeking
comment in the last week.
The senator elevated the issue in his closing argument to voters and
questioned Peltola's denials.
On Wednesday his campaign expressed confidence in Sullivan's chances,
“despite the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska”
and “despite a bloodbath for Republicans everywhere else in the
country.”
Sullivan and Peltola say the vote count will take time
Both campaigns urged patience as the ballot count continues.
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Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola speaks at an
election night event Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska.
(AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Peltola addressed supporters Tuesday night after news broke that
Democrats had won enough seats to gain control of the Senate. She
was joyful — even taking a selfie with the crowd — but said it will
take time for the state to count ballots.
Alaska allows up to 10 days to receive absentee ballots sent from
within the U.S., a timeline that can be critical for ballots from
rural Alaska communities that are often accessible only by air or
water and rely on air service for mail delivery.
“It’s going to take a long time to make sure we’re counting every
vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny
outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young
people going to colleges,” Peltola said.
Democrat seeks to reclaim governor's office
Kreiss-Tomkins expressed excitement about the early vote results
when speaking to supporters on election night, saying, “What a night
this is for the future of our state.”
He cast himself as a consensus builder in the race to succeed
term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and said he would work
across party lines to address the state's challenges.
State Republican leaders urged their voters to rank the three GOP
candidates in the race to maximize the party's chances of success.
But Trump, speaking at a rally in support of Republican candidates
including Sullivan and Wilson last month in Wasilla, called ranked
voting a “scam.” And he railed on social media against the other two
Republican gubernatorial candidates, former Anchorage Mayor Dave
Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor.
Wilson said in a statement Wednesday that she was “cautiously
optimistic for the days ahead.”
Alaska's last Democratic governor was Tony Knowles, who had
back-to-back terms from 1994 to 2002. The state had an independent
governor from 2014 to 2018.
Ballot measure seeks to repeal unique elections process
Alaskans were asked to decide for the second time in two years on a
ballot measure seeking to repeal the open primary and ranked vote
general election system.
Voters approved the system in 2020, and it took effect for elections
in 2022. Voters narrowly rejected a repeal effort two years ago.
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