Native Vote 2026
Former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) has widened her lead over Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan to 10,412 votes in Alaska’s closely watched Senate race, prompting her campaign to declare that her victory is all but certain.
With 49.84% of the total vote, Peltola, a Democrat and lifelong Alaskan, is approaching the 50% threshold needed to secure an outright victory in the first round of Alaska’s ranked-choice voting election.
Cheryl Bruce, campaign manager for Alaskans for Mary, said the remaining ballots are expected to strengthen Peltola’s lead and put her over the 50% mark.
“Alaskans have spoken, and it is clear that in the coming days Mary Peltola will be officially elected as their next United States Senator,” Bruce said in a campaign statement.
“Mary got into this race to take on DC corruption, lower costs, and put Alaska first – and when elected, she will hit the ground running. This campaign was built by Alaskans hungry for a change in leadership, and Mary is ready to deliver.”
According to the Peltola campaign, just over 10,000 ballots remain to be counted, with most expected from Anchorage and Southeast Alaska. Both areas have favored Peltola by significant margins in the ballots counted so far.
The campaign also pointed to Peltola’s strong performance in early in-person and absentee voting, which it says has helped widen her advantage over Sullivan.
The campaign maintains that Sullivan has no mathematical path to overtake Peltola and that the remaining ballots will confirm her election.
However, the Alaska Division of Elections must complete its ballot count and officially certify the results before the race is formally decided.
If Peltola’s lead holds, her election would mark a significant political shift for Alaska and return her to Washington, D.C., this time as the state’s next U.S. senator.
