The United States Senate race in Alaska remains uncalled on Thursday, with Republican Senator Dan Sullivan holding a narrow lead over Democrat Mary Peltola as counting continues in one of the last two undecided Senate contests.
According to NBC News, Sullivan was leading Peltola by 1,677 votes, with roughly 80,000 votes still to count. The Associated Press lists the race as too early to call, with 75.43 percent of precincts reporting and an estimated 75.49 percent of the vote counted.
The race matters because it will settle the final shape of the Senate, even though the overall majority is already decided. Democrats have secured a 54-seat majority to 44 for Republicans, according to NBC News, with Alaska and Mississippi still left to call.
Ranked choice could decide it
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which adds time to the process. According to reports, neither candidate had secured the majority required to win outright, with approximately 74 percent of the estimated vote counted. The state’s Division of Elections has scheduled ranked-choice tabulation for November 18.
That means the final result could take another two weeks, as outstanding postal ballots are counted and second preferences are allocated. Both races could be affected by those ballots, although the states have different counting procedures.
A race that defied expectations
Peltola, a former member of the House, has run a competitive campaign in a state that usually votes Republican, and the closeness of the contest surprised many observers. Sullivan, the incumbent, is seeking another term in a race that was not expected to be this tight.
Whatever the outcome, Democrats will control the Senate in January. But a Peltola win would stretch their majority to 55 seats, while a Sullivan victory would hold it at 54.
