By SUZANNE DOWNING
Aug. 25, 2026 – The latest batch of ballots counted in Alaska’s primary election has further clarified the statewide races, with two Democrats leading the field for governor, Democrat Mary Peltola maintaining an edge over Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Republican Rep. Nick Begich holding a commanding lead in the race for Alaska’s one US House seat.
The results remain unofficial, but nearly every precinct has now reported and more than 147,000 ballots have been counted, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.
The latest count includes more early-voting ballots and absentee-by-mail ballots.
Democrat former Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and running mate Zac Johnson remain in first place with 31,903 votes, or 22%.
Former Sen. Tom Begich and running mate Julia Hnilicka are second with 29,112 votes, or 20%.
Republican Bernadette Wilson and running mate former Sen. Mike Shower continue to lead the Republican field. They have received 15,063 votes, or 10.4%.
The New York Times has now called the race for governor, naming Bernadette Wilson the leading Republican.
Former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and running mate Josh Church are holding fourth place with 11,822 votes, or 8.1%, positioning them for the final spot on the November ballot.
Treg Taylor and running mate Candi English are fifth with 10,801 votes, or 7.4%. Former Sen. Click Bishop and running mate Greta Schuerch follow with 10,443 votes, or 7.2%.
The two leading Democratic tickets have received a combined 61,015 votes, or 42% of the total.
Republican-led tickets, including those with running mates registered under another affiliation, have received approximately 73,965 votes, or nearly 51%. But those votes are divided among a dozen tickets, leaving Democrats in the top two positions and Republicans in third and fourth.
The governor’s race has 400 of 402 precincts reporting. The Division lists 147,732 ballots counted and turnout at 24.6% among 601,104 registered voters included in that race.
In the US Senate primary, Democrat Mary Peltola kept her raw-vote lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Peltola has 70,816 votes, or 48.2%, while Sullivan has 62,624 votes, or 42.6%. Her current margin is 8,192 votes.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the candidate whose similar name sparked allegations that he entered the race to confuse voters, remains in third place with 3,610 votes, or 2.5%.
Republican Gerald Heikes, who is being used by Democrats to drain votes from Sen. Sullivan, has moved into fourth place with 1,641 votes. He is now 27 votes ahead of Democrat David Leslie, who has 1,614.
That narrow contest for fourth is one of the few remaining uncertainties in the statewide races. The top four finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
The Senate race has 401 of 403 precincts reporting, with 147,765 ballots counted. Turnout is listed at 24.5%.
In the US House race, Republican incumbent Nick Begich has strengthened his first-place finish with 66,177 votes, or 45.9%.
Independent Bill Hill is a distant second with 45,048 votes, or 31.3%. Begich leads Hill by 21,129 votes.
Democrat Matt Schultz, who suspended his campaign and endorsed Hill before the primary, remains in third place with 11,439 votes, or 7.9%. He has withdrawn from being on the general election ballot.
Eric Hafner, a Democrat serving a federal prison sentence outside Alaska, is fourth with 5,499 votes, or 3.8%. Democrat John Williams is fifth with 3,806 votes, followed by Republican Clay Strickland with 3,377.
Unless the order changes during the final count or one of the four withdraws, the November House ballot would include Begich, Hill, Hafner, and Williams.
The House race also has 401 of 403 precincts reporting and 147,765 ballots counted.
The state review board began examining election materials Tuesday and will continue through Aug. 31. The Division of Elections is scheduled to certify the primary results Aug. 31, which is also the general-election candidate withdrawal deadline.
