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2026 Senate · Alaska
Alaska Senate Race: Why It Isn’t Called Yet
Alaska’s U.S. Senate race between Mary Peltola and Dan Sullivan was not called on election night and is still being counted. Democrats have already won control of the Senate, so this race decides the size of the majority, not which party holds it.
Quick Answer
- Status
- Not called. Mary Peltola led Dan Sullivan by 637 votes in the November 5, 2026 count.
- Why so slow?
- About a quarter of the vote is still uncounted, the top two are a few hundred votes apart, and no one has 50% — so ranked choices may decide it on November 18.
- How it’s decided
- Ranked-choice count if no one tops 50%.
- Next date
- November 10, 2026: scheduled count update.
Where the Count Stands
Associated Press 2026 Senate results, as of November 5 at 10:27 AM ET. Unofficial until Alaska certifies.
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mary PeltolaDDemocrat | 102,962 | 48.17% |
| Dan SullivanRRepublican, incumbent | 102,325 | 47.88% |
| Gerald HeikesRRepublican | 4,846 | 2.27% |
| Daniel Sullivan—a different candidate from the senator | 3,600 | 1.68% |
Margin: 637 votes (0.29 points). The Alaska Division of Elections had counted 215,912 ballots and estimated roughly 60,000 more — about 20,000 early votes and 40,000 absentee ballots — were still to be counted (Anchorage Daily News).
Snapshot from Associated Press 2026 Senate results. Counts move as ballots are added; this site does not call races.
Why the Race Hasn’t Been Called
Alaska counts slowly by design. State law accepts absentee ballots from overseas voters for up to 15 days after Election Day as long as they were postmarked by November 3, and many ballots come from communities off the road system. The Division of Elections posts updated counts on a fixed schedule rather than continuously.
With roughly a quarter of ballots uncounted, Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan were separated by a few hundred votes in the first counts. Neither had more than 50% of first-choice votes, which means the race may not be settled by first choices at all.
How the Winner Is Decided
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting in general elections. If a candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes once every ballot is counted, they win. If not, the Division of Elections runs a ranked-choice tabulation: the last-place candidate is eliminated and each of their ballots moves to that voter’s next choice, round by round, until one candidate has a majority of the remaining ballots.
That makes the voters of the two smaller candidates — Gerald Heikes and a separate candidate named Daniel Sullivan, together about 4% of first choices — potentially decisive. Their second choices are counted only if no one reaches 50% on first choices.
The tabulation is scheduled for November 18, the day the last overseas ballots are due. Alaska’s governor race and its at-large House seat are also uncalled and could go to the same count.
Alaska does not recount automatically. A recount must be requested within five days after the State Review Board finishes reviewing the results, according to the Division of Elections.
How Ranked-Choice Tabulation Works
Every Alaska voter could rank the candidates on the ballot in order of preference. On election night and in the counts after it, only first choices are reported.
If no one has a majority of first choices after the final count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Ballots that ranked that candidate first are redistributed to their next ranked choice. Ballots with no further choice are set aside, so the 50% threshold applies to the ballots still in play in each round.
Rounds continue until one candidate has more than half of the continuing ballots. The Division of Elections runs this once, after all ballots are counted, and publishes each round.
Key Dates
- Tue, Nov 10Scheduled count updateExpected to include almost all early votes and a large batch of absentee ballots.
- Fri, Nov 13Scheduled count updateBy this update nearly all ballots are expected to be counted.
- Wed, Nov 18Final count and ranked-choice tabulationDeadline for overseas absentee ballots; final unofficial count, then ranked-choice rounds for any race without a majority.
More on how long every state counts: when will we know the 2026 results. Full Senate and House picture: 2026 election results. Alaska’s delegation: Alaska senators and representatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is winning the Alaska Senate race?
No winner has been called. In the first counts reported by the Associated Press (posted November 5, 2026), Democrat Mary Peltola had 102,962 first-choice votes (48.17%) and Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan had 102,325 (47.88%), with roughly 60,000 ballots still to be counted.
When will the Alaska Senate race be called?
Possibly not before November 18. Alaska accepts overseas absentee ballots until then, and if no candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes once every ballot is counted, the winner is decided by the ranked-choice tabulation scheduled that day.
Will Alaska use ranked-choice voting for the Senate race?
Only if needed. If one candidate has more than 50% of first-choice votes after the final count, that candidate wins. If not, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their ballots go to each voter’s next choice until someone has a majority.
Why does Alaska take so long to count votes?
Alaska accepts overseas absentee ballots for 15 days after Election Day if they were postmarked by Election Day, many ballots come from remote communities, and the Division of Elections posts counts on a fixed schedule — 7, 10 and 15 days after the election — rather than continuously.
Is there a runoff in Alaska?
No separate runoff election. Alaska’s ranked-choice tabulation does the work of a runoff using the rankings voters already marked, so no second trip to the polls is needed.
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