Peltola Leads Sullivan by 637 Votes as Ranked-Choice Count Looms

Alaska's Senate race is still unsettled: unofficial returns show Democrat Mary Peltola ahead of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by just 637 votes, and neither has a majority, according to Newsweek's tally of the unofficial results.

That means the winner will be decided by Alaska's ranked-choice tabulation, which is scheduled for Nov. 18 once officials finish counting eligible ballots. Results are targeted for certification on Nov. 25, CBS News reports.

The wild card is the second 'Dan Sullivan' on the ballot. Retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan, listed with no party identifier, took 1.7 percent, or about 3,600 votes, per Newsweek — roughly five times the current margin. The New York Times reported that his recruitment was tied to a Democratic operative; Peltola's campaign denies any involvement.

President Trump weighed in on Truth Social, arguing that votes for 'Fake Dan Sullivan' and another candidate should go to the 'REAL Dan Sullivan,' and declaring, 'There is no other fair solution!' That is not how ranked-choice counting works: as CBS explains, the last-place candidate is eliminated and each of his ballots moves to the voter's next-ranked choice.

Republicans may not need a shortcut. The Alaska Beacon's headline on its Nov. 4 analysis says ranked-choice voting 'may help' Sullivan, and the Sullivan campaign has said it expects to prevail once the rounds are run, according to reporting aggregated by Newsweek's coverage of the race. Peltola, notably, won her 2022 special election only after trailing on first-choice votes, taking 55 percent in the final round.

On the legal front, a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department's suit seeking to block certification if Sullivan lost, finding the federal government lacked the legal right to sue. DOJ has said it will appeal. Unlike a pre-election case brought by outside plaintiffs, this one was thrown out before a single ballot was tabulated — and the administration is asking a higher court to take a second look.

All figures are unofficial and will change as Alaska updates its count.