Democrat Mary Peltola Opens Wide Lead Over Sitting GOP Senator in Initial Round of Alaska Voting

Democrats’ chances of retaking control of the U.S. Senate appear to be increasing now that the Democratic nominee in Alaska’s Senate race this year, Mary Peltola, has opened a wide lead over her Republican opponent, Senator Dan Sullivan, in the initial round of voting. Ms. Peltola, Mr. Sullivan, and two other candidates will advance to the ranked-choice November general election. Under Alaska state law, candidates run in a blanket primary, with the top-four vote getters moving on to the general election, regardless of party. Ms. Peltola, who represented Alaska in the U.S. House for a little over two years, is currently in first place now that the primary ballots are being tabulated. She is taking 49 percent of the vote, while Mr. Sullivan — a two-term senator — is winning only 42 percent. The person in third place is also named Dan Sullivan, and he will appear on the November ballot despite Republicans’ accusation that he is a Democratic plant meant to confuse voters. Ms. Peltola is considered one of Democrats’ best recruitment wins of this midterm cycle, given her popularity in the state and her fundraising prowess. She lost re-election to the House in 2024 by only 2.5 percent on the same day President Trump won the state by more than 13 points. Since she entered the race, Ms. Peltola has led in every public poll, except for one New York Times–Siena College survey that found Mr. Sullivan with a two-point lead. According to the most recent FEC filings, Ms. Peltola has raised more than $18.5 million for her campaign while Mr. Sullivan has raised more than $11.7 million. An even more worrying sign for Republicans is that a majority of the votes cast in the primary election, which was held earlier this month, are going to Democrats. On top of Ms. Peltola’s 49 percent of the vote, other Democratic candidates are taking a combined 1.7 percent of the vote, meaning 50.7 percent of ballots counted thus far are going toward the Democrats. Republicans combined are winning 47.4 percent of ballots cast, while independent candidates are taking the remaining share. The real question mark in this race is the presence of Mr. Sullivan — not the senator, but the school teacher by the same name who is running as a Republican. The non-senator Mr. Sullivan is taking 2.5 percent of the vote in the primary balloting, enough to guarantee him a spot on the November ballot. Who will win the fourth spot is not yet determined, as Democratic candidate David Leslie and Republican candidate Gerald Heikes, are both winning 1.1 percent of the vote. Mr. Leslie is leading Mr. Heikes by only 40 votes, with about 94 percent of ballots counted. Now that Mr. Sullivan the teacher is on the November ballot, Republicans worry that Alaska voters will be confused come election day and rank the teacher — Daniel J. Sullivan — rather than their sitting senator — Daniel S. Sullivan. In the ranked-choice voting process, voters have the ability to rank their choices one through four, with the candidate who received the fewest number of votes being eliminated. Once that happens, if someone who ranked the eliminated candidate first and the included a second choice, then the ballots will be reallocated based on that second choice. Republicans are currently trying to repeal the state’s ranked-choice voting system, which was made law after a statewide ballot initiative succeeded in 2020. In November, if another ballot initiative to repeal the system succeeds, then Alaska will return to the traditional party primary system in which both Democrats and Republicans nominate their respective candidates for a head-to-head general election.

Democrat Mary Peltola Opens Wide Lead Over Sitting GOP Senator in Initial Round of Alaska Voting

Democrat Mary Peltola Opens Wide Lead Over Sitting GOP Senator in Initial Round of Alaska Voting

More from the New York Sun

Asked About a 2028 Bid, Trump Praises Cruz, Calling Him ‘Talented’ and ‘a Friend’

Iran Not Only Targets Barron but Melania Trump, Plots To Assassinate Yair Netanyahu

American Academic Who Leveled Plagiarism Charges Against Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Is Reinstated

Justice Jackson’s Invocation of a ‘Kafkaesque Nightmare’ Proves Too Extreme for Even Her Fellow Liberal Justices

Reckless Overspending Fuels America’s Surging National Debt, Yet Democrats Try To Pin the Blame on Tax Cuts

The World Grows More Dangerous as American Governance Gets More Frivolous

Broadway’s New Season: ‘A Few Good Men,’ a Singing Galileo, and a Dolly Parton Musical

Searching for the Real Young George Washington

More from the New York Sun

Asked About a 2028 Bid, Trump Praises Cruz, Calling Him ‘Talented’ and ‘a Friend’

Iran Not Only Targets Barron but Melania Trump, Plots To Assassinate Yair Netanyahu

American Academic Who Leveled Plagiarism Charges Against Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Is Reinstated

Justice Jackson’s Invocation of a ‘Kafkaesque Nightmare’ Proves Too Extreme for Even Her Fellow Liberal Justices

Reckless Overspending Fuels America’s Surging National Debt, Yet Democrats Try To Pin the Blame on Tax Cuts

The World Grows More Dangerous as American Governance Gets More Frivolous

Broadway’s New Season: ‘A Few Good Men,’ a Singing Galileo, and a Dolly Parton Musical

Searching for the Real Young George Washington