By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 18, 2026 – With more than 115,000 ballots included in Alaska’s first major election-night count, Democrat Mary Peltola held a narrow lead over Republican US Sen. Dan Sullivan, Congressman Nick Begich was comfortably ahead in the US House contest, and Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins led the crowded race for governor. Bernadette Wilson is leading the Republican candidates for governor.
The Alaska Division of Elections’ unofficial results, updated at 9:38 p.m. Tuesday, included 115,504 voters and 242 of the state’s 403 precincts, or about 60%, in the federal races.
In the US Senate primary, Peltola had 53,817 votes, or 46.84%, while Sullivan had 50,988 votes, or 44.38%. Peltola’s early advantage was 2,829 votes.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the retired Petersburg teacher whose nearly identical name has drawn national attention and prompted a federal investigation, was running third with 2,785 votes, or 2.42%. He is subject to a Department of Justice investigation.
Gerald Heikes was in fourth place with 1,263 votes, narrowly ahead of Democrat David Leslie, who had 1,247. Under Alaska’s top-four primary system, the four highest finishers advance to the November general election. Heikes has been pushed by leftist political action committees.
Begich had the strongest showing among the leading statewide candidates Tuesday night. The Republican incumbent had 53,078 votes, or 47.05%, in the race for Alaska’s lone US House seat.
Independent Bill Hill was a distant second with 34,470 votes, or 30.56%. Democrat Matt Schultz, who suspended his campaign in July and endorsed Hill, remained in third place with 9,104 votes, or 8.07%.
Democrat Eric Hafner, who is serving a prison sentence outside Alaska, was holding fourth place with 4,230 votes, or 3.75%. Republican Clay Strickland was fifth with 2,638 votes, followed closely by Democrat John Williams with 2,769. The House totals showed 112,810 votes cast in that contest.
The race for governor remained more fragmented, with no candidate approaching a majority.
Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Edie Johnson led with 24,632 votes, or 21.64%. Democrat Tom Begich and Julia Hnilicka were second with 22,252 votes, or 19.55%.
Republican Bernadette Wilson and running mate Mike Shower were third with 12,392 votes, or 10.89%, making Wilson the leading Republican in the race.
Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and Josh Church held fourth place with 9,778 votes, or 8.59%. Former Attorney General Treg Taylor and Cheryl English were fifth with 8,696 votes, followed by Click Bishop and Greta Schuerch with 7,692.
The early top four in the governor’s race were therefore Kreiss-Tomkins, Tom Begich, Wilson and Bronson.
The results remain unofficial, and the geographic composition of the vote will likely change. Large portions of rural and Western Alaska had not yet reported in the 9:38 p.m. count, while many urban and road-system precincts were already included. Absentee and questioned ballots will also continue to be processed.
The four candidates receiving the most votes in each statewide race advance to the Nov. 3 general election, where voters will use ranked-choice voting unless the system is changed before then.
28 thoughts on “Early Alaska results: Peltola edges Sullivan, Begich dominates House race, Bernadette is top Republican for governor”
Bye, Treg, Clunk, Adam, Matt, and Shelley get out, all of you!!! Nine of you have a snowball’s chance,in a supernova
Bronson would have a better chance of defeating Begich or Tomkins than Wilson would in the general election.
How do you figure?
Obviously Sullivan’s support for Trump’s war in Iran and the Trump’s inflationary tariff’s has voters looking for an alternative. Its hard to win midterm elections when your parties presidency had sub 40% approval and energy costs are sky high. As long as Mary ties Sullivan to Trump with his voting record the blue wave should wash across the Gulf of Alaska. The results in Florida should be alarming to right wingers.
No Damon, the results in Florida give conservatives and common sense Independents hope that America can defeat the marxist Democrats who are hell bent on destroying America.
The results show that sullivan’s time as a senator is done. Good riddance. The endless and gleeful support for multiple wars is a major factor. We need true conservatives to step up and run for office.
I agree. Sullivan isn’t as bad as The Princess, but he is a neocon and consequently a warmonger. I will not vote for him.
There is no difference between a lying marxist and a lying neocon.
To those on the right still aboard the Trump train and crying at my post and those like me, why did you destroy our governing coalition? If the marxists are an existential threat- and they are- then everything ought to been done to preserve and strengthen our coalition. The campaign promises of 2024 should have been the roadmap. Instead they were more lies. There is a strong penalty for lying, as God writes in His book. The correction has begun and it will be ugly, just as the last year plus has been ugly. May God have mercy on our nation.
He has been showing American the same grace and mercy he showed to the kingdoms Samaria and Judah . Slow to judgement not wanting anyone to perish but be saved from his wrath and judgement.
I’m thankful but I see people today are not softening their hearts toward his Word of God but hardening which only will bring our nation closer and closer to the destruction it deserves.
As for electing conservatives to state elect offices. This is Alaska. Currently conservatives have no more chance than a libertarian to be elected. Seeing the preliminary results of the general election in the primary. Bronson, Wilson, Sullivan are showing too right, too conservative for how Alaskans been educated to vote for.
There is judgement for sin. (Romans 6:23)
75 million plus abortions in the last 60 years. Rampant sexual sin celebrated and made an altar to. Endless wars for profit that do not conform to a just war (Jeremiah 22:17). These wars kill many innocents and coarsen and harden a people, as we have become. Hardened hearts indeed.
But there is God’s mercy (John 3:16)
We must repent as a nation. As individuals, we stop doing what we know is wrong and sinful in our lives. Stop it! Today. Now. And then spread His light to your family. Heal that if needs be. Then keep going. There has been signs of a Great Awakening. May it come to full fruition.
Micah is spot on. We had a historic opportunity in 2024 to clean house. It was squandered by the neocons like sullivan, graham, mcconnell, cornyn, etc. who just had to put thune in charge to torpedo the entire conservative agenda. They only succeeded in passing the bbb which did NOTHING but sink us further into fiscal ruin.
We do need to return to GOD as a country. We need to elect God fearing conservatives. Tina needs to stop justifying voting for the “lesser of two evils”. I absolutely refute your claim that they can’t win a state election. Trump easily won Alaska three times! Give us good candidates and we will turn out in droves to put them in office!
This fall the best we can hope for is throwing out the ranked choice voting scam.
Yeah let’s go back to Mary’s ridiculous rubber stamp of weekend at Biden’s and Pelosi’s legislative agenda, remember 9% inflation? the extreme inflation reduction act that skyrocketed costs? Elect Mary Scamola and that’s what you’re gonna get. She ain’t AK first, she’s extreme politics first and only.
Don’t forget that the results of the primary are not final. The campaigns are starting all over again, there still is the General election to which those who don’t vote in the primary will be voting in the general election. For the RNC and AKGoP they should be concerned in the education and direction Alaskans are going. Rhinos in the legislature are cheering because in their bad thinking they see Alaskans moving from party partisan politics is a good thing toward more central government after last nights preliminary results. However what the Rhinos fail understanding is the Left is winning and Alaskans in their illiteracy are supporting leftist partisan candidates and their ballot measures. There is no such thing as remaining political neutral. You will either support a Republic form of government or you will be supporting a Democratic Democracy form of government.
When alaska becomes Washington, California, and Oregon (where they don’t have a two party system and the democrats control everything) don’t complain when we start living under the very same policies that are moving out their own residents.
To be frank. I already think America is done and waiting for God judgement which in his grace and mercy He’d delaying just as he did for when the Old Testament kingdoms of Sameria and Judah. Waiting for them to repent and turn away from their idolatry and wickedness not wanting anyone to perish under his awesome judgement and wrath.
Just like in those early Isreal kingdoms people, Americans are just not changing and the more hardness of heart being developed and shown in Americans the more likely I’m bracing life isn’t get better but worsening no matter whom is elected or that enemies of America within this country and outside will have their predestined way by God’s acceptance to bring about his judgement destruction. Because we don’t have to not see how leftist partisan policies have brought destruction upon states that voted for leftist partisan leaders and leftist partisan initiatives.
Micah has hit the bull’s eye. I hate it when Leftists are right — higher gas prices are due to Trump & Sullivan. Trump was the Peace Candidate but he betrayed himself and the MAGA coalition when he RAN towards war and the Israeli state, demonizing Iran and giving their moderates no chance to correct their government. War unifies any nation that suffers outright aggression. Sullivan is part and parcel of this useless and endless war, and is a member of the CFR, which is the engine & essence of the military-industrial complex/Deep State. Peltola is not a “peace candidate” since she supported the Ukraine War. She is a do-nothing puppet and liar, will lead us into a social hell-hole of Biden-Harris-Schumer, which means abortion, transgender madness and homosexuality. Are those the values of Alaskan natives? I doubt it, but did Sullivan hit those? The CFR won’t let him be a “peace candidate”, but he would do well to campaign on the social issues.
So now we need to elect Peltola? Sounds like the Libertarian playbook. Have solid ideals but little action to back it up? I have to pinch my nose to vote for Sullivan, but to let a total jackass like Peltola team up with Murkowski is far worse than pinching a nose for Sullivan. Come on folks, think a bit…
Thank you Greg. Spot on comment.
Peltola was a rubber stamp for Joe Biden. You want this POS again? She’s a liar and lazy. Congressman Nick Begich has proven that. If you vote for Peltola YOU are the problem.
We need a Governor that can do more than make noise and grab attention. I’m disappointed that a candidate who cannot articulate a plan of action or say anything more substantial than “we’re going to have that conversation” and “the money is there,” is a top contender for Governor. It does not speak well of Alaska’s electorate.
A bunch of voters just WILL NOT vote for a Republican under any circumstance while Trump is still in office. He has turned into a political train wreck for the Party. This includes what was the true MAGA patriots!
Bob Bird: correct on all points and I heartily agree. Both Sullivan and Trump, amongst many others, have deserted MAGA principles and become water-carrier for Israel and Ukraine… and ultimately, globalist elites.
This is correct. Trump definitely did a 180 after his second election. Total betrayal. Sullivan enabled it all.
Tim, how does the Democrat’s koolaide taste? More?
Victor must be a baby boomer. The jokes write themselves. Not to worry the youth vote will be taking over in the next 10 years and all your beloved uniparty scumbags will be thrown out.
It was the youth vote (29 and under) that put Trump in the white house. They were ignored and will not be helping trump in the midterms.
After all being said “Tuesday may have shown us a political wind, but a wind is not a mandate. For Christians, the question is not simply who won—it is whether we are discerning the times, judging leaders by their fruits, and faithfully exercising the liberty and responsibility God has placed in our hands.
Beware, Proverbs 17.15 “He who justifies the wicked,and he who condemns the just, BOTH of them alike are an abomination to the LORD. ” He who judges,. judge not! or “Judge not, that you be not judged” Matthew 7.1
I end with this from the sermon on the mount ” It warns people not to act with harsh pride, hypocrisy, or unfair condemnation toward others. ” Peace be with all who have commented today. Liberty Ed
Dan Sullivan is not sufficiently conservative so you’re going to elect Mary Peltola to replace him? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!
Sometimes less than perfect is all you get. It doesn’t mean you have to embrace the worst.
Freefall, excellent post. The complete lack of logic of those thinking Democrat Peltola is no different from Sullivan are sadly clueless. Same for those who want to turn America over to the Democrats because they claim President Trump betrayed MAGA. Yet they think Democrat marxists will be MAGA?? 😂 Interested readers need to educate themselves via Promethean videos on YouTube.
Maybe Republicans have some self-examination to do? Registered Dems are only 12 percent of voters yet the top two Dems in the gubernatorial race received OVER TWICE AS MANY votes as the top two Republicans within the top 4, and only the top 4 count in this very poor election process. And in the US Senate race the Republican incumbent is bested by the Democrat challenger, a woman with a very seedy past. I think an objective analyst, if one could be found, might conclude that Republicans have the best candidates but we have been outsmarted. Republicans are playing checkers and Dems are playing chess.
I find all these proclamations premature, considering the large field of candidates and spread of votes.
This is neither a referendum on Sen. Sullivan nor Peltola. I suppose in November many voters will consider practical implication of their voting record, attendance and impact the candidate had. In the end it will heavily depend on voter turn-out and how many will vote ideologically despite their candidates track record and how many will chose the candidate they think works for Alaska regardless of their “flaws”.
As an aside that we once again have the felon on the ballot, does not give you much faith into the reasoning skills of that faction of the electorate…