Alaska Senate and Governor Races Remain Undecided
- Alaska's U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races remain undecided as ballots are counted.
- The DOJ filed an amended complaint alleging a 'decoy' candidate was recruited to confuse voters.
- Incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola in the contested Senate race.
- State officials scheduled ranked-choice tabulation for November 18, 2026.
- Democrats have secured control of both the U.S. House and Senate nationally.
As of November 5, 2026, the U.S. Senate and gubernatorial races in Alaska remain undecided as officials continue to process ballots.
These outstanding contests, along with the race in Mississippi, will determine the final margin in the Senate. Democrats have already secured control of the chamber, but the results in these states remain critical for the final seat count.
DOJ files amended complaint regarding 'decoy' candidate
The U.S.
The Trump administration alleges that the Peltola campaign and the committee recruited a retired teacher, Daniel J. Sullivan, to run in the Senate race to draw votes away from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
The amended complaint claims that the Peltola campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee provided misleading information in an October 23 court filing regarding whether the candidate’s run was a good-faith effort or an attempt to confuse voters.
Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward wrote that the groups "appear to have turned to misleading this Court" after being "emboldened by the success of their reported plot to deceive Alaskan voters".
Senate candidates and the 'decoy' controversy
The Alaska U.S. Senate race features incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and former Democratic Congresswoman Mary Peltola.
A second candidate, retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan, also appears on the ballot, causing confusion among voters.
This contest utilizes a ranked-choice voting system and has received national attention due to the presence of the candidate with a name nearly identical to the incumbent.
A report published in The New York Times the previous week alleged that Democrats recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to run against Senator Dan S. Sullivan to draw away votes.
Voter reactions and candidate denials
A criminal investigation is currently underway regarding the Alaska Democratic Senate campaign. Some voters expressed being "disgusted" by the alleged "decoy Dan" plot involving a candidate with a similar name to the incumbent senator. One voter said he switched his support from Mary Peltola to incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan after learning about the scheme, which he described as "so sleazy".
Peltola denied involvement in the alleged scheme during a rally speech. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan".
President Donald Trump expressed support for Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. He posted on Truth Social on Monday that the senator should run "UNDER PROTEST" due to the "FRAUD" of having another Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
Governor race and ballot measure status
Former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is the Democratic candidate running for the open governor's seat.
A ballot measure intended to repeal Alaska's system of open primaries and ranked-choice voting is currently too early to call.
Ranked-choice voting and future tabulation
State election officials aim for November 18, 2026, to perform the ranked-choice tabulation. The state allows up to 15 days for overseas ballots to arrive before finalizing the results.
National midterm context
Democrats secured control of both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate in the 2026 elections.
Unofficial counts from early Wednesday showed the candidates within a few dozen votes of each other out of more than 945,000 ballots cast.
No winner has been declared in the Mississippi race. A victory for Colom would mark the first Democratic U.S. Senate win in the state since John Stennis in 1982.
Academic research on political behavior
Iyengar and Westwood, writing in the American Journal of Political Science, demonstrated that hostility between political parties intensifies mistrust and discrimination.
Enns and Jardina examined the relationship between immigration views, racial attitudes, and support for Donald Trump in Public Opinion Quarterly.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Mississippi Not Burning, It’s Turning; Alaska: The Final Frontier! (eurweb.com)
- Alaska voter 'disgusted' by reported 'decoy Dan' plot switches from Peltola to Sullivan - Fox News (foxnews.com)
- DOJ contends Democrats misled court on Alaska Senate race - Politico (politico.com)
- Oct. 29: Alaska election subpoenas, Remembering Patrick Stewart - NBC News (nbcnews.com)
- Alaskans wait for more votes in US Senate, governor's races. Both could go to ranked tabulations - Greenwich Time (greenwichtime.com)
- Alaskans wait for more votes in US Senate and governor’s races, with both still undecided - Chicago Tribune (chicagotribune.com)
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