Key facts
- Peltola led Senator Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes, 48.2% to 47.9%, in tallies compiled by Reuters and USA Today.
- Retired schoolteacher Dan J. Sullivan, with no party affiliation, had about 3,600 votes, or 1.7%.
- Republican Gerry Heikes, a drywall contractor, had 2.3% of the vote, fewer than 5,000 ballots.
- Alaska officials will not run the ranked-choice tabulation until November 18.
- The Justice Department has sent more than 140 letters, subpoenas and notices in its probe, one person familiar said.
- Voting rights lawyer Marc Elias, a target per two people familiar, denied wrongdoing after Trump said he should be in jail.
The US Senate race in Alaska was uncalled on November 4, the day after Democrats won control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the midterm elections. With ballots still being counted, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes, 48.2% to 47.9%, according to tallies compiled by Reuters and USA Today, which are partnering to collect live election results.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting: voters rank candidates, the top four primary finishers advance regardless of party, and a candidate needs more than 50% of first-place votes. If no one clears that threshold, officials eliminate the last-place finisher and reallocate those ballots to next choices. Officials will not run the ranked-choice tabulation until November 18, so a result could take weeks.
Two other candidates were on the ballot. Retired schoolteacher Dan J. Sullivan, with no party affiliation, had about 3,600 votes, or 1.7%, and Republican drywall contractor Gerry Heikes had 2.3%, fewer than 5,000 ballots. Republicans had alleged that Dan J. Sullivan was a spoiler meant to confuse voters, and tried to remove him from the ballot, but Alaska's highest court rejected that argument.
The New York Times reported that Peltola's campaign helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan into the race; the campaign has denied any involvement. The Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into the allegations and widened it, sending letters to more than 20 people notifying them they are subjects, according to two people familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. Those are among more than 140 letters, subpoenas and notices sent in the probe, one of the people said.
Targets include voting rights lawyer Marc Elias, whose firm has represented Democrats including Peltola, according to the people. Trump said on November 3 that Elias should be in jail, and Elias has denied any wrongdoing. Attorney General Todd Blanche questioned the ranked-choice system on November 3 and called on Alaska to preserve the ballots cast, saying: "The Department of Justice has been fighting tooth and nail to stop this process."