By SUZANNE DOWNING
Nov. 9, 2026 – Mary Peltola expanded her lead over US Sen. Dan Sullivan on Monday as the Alaska Division of Elections added another 4,947 votes to the unofficial election count, with a larger update expected Tuesday.
Peltola’s first-choice advantage grew from 637 votes to 2,517, an increase of 1,880 votes in the closely watched Senate contest. Congressman Nick Begich continued to lead the US House race, while Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins remained ahead in the race for governor.
The division’s Nov. 9 report, timestamped 2:55 pm, shows that none of the three leading candidates has crossed 50% of the first-choice vote. Additional counting could change those percentages before ranked-choice tabulation.
Senate: Peltola’s advantage
Peltola had 106,321 votes, or 48.47%, compared with Sullivan’s 103,804 votes, or 47.33%.
Republican Gerald Heikes had 4,865 votes, or 2.22%. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., the same-name candidate known as “Decoy Dan,” had 3,651 votes, or 1.66%. Write-in candidates accounted for another 701 votes.
| Candidate | First-choice votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Peltola | 106,321 | 48.47% |
| Sen. Dan S. Sullivan | 103,804 | 47.33% |
| Gerald Heikes | 4,865 | 2.22% |
| Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. | 3,651 | 1.66% |
| Write-ins | 701 | 0.32% |
Decoy Dan’s total exceeds the margin between Peltola and the incumbent senator by 1,134 votes.
With neither major candidate above 50%, the eventual outcome could depend on both the remaining ballots and the rankings marked by voters who selected other candidates. .
House: Begich leads Hill by 18,283 votes
Begich had 107,187 votes, or 49.11%, giving him an 18,283-vote lead over Bill Hill, who had 88,904 votes, or 40.73%.
Democrat Eric Hafner, the New York prisoner, had 15,971 votes, or 7.32%, while Libertarian Jim McDermott had 5,863 votes, or 2.69%. Write-ins totaled 346.
| Candidate | First-choice votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Begich | 107,187 | 49.11% |
| Bill Hill | 88,904 | 40.73% |
| Eric Hafner | 15,971 | 7.32% |
| Jim McDermott | 5,863 | 2.69% |
| Write-ins | 346 | 0.16% |
Begich remained less than one percentage point below a first-choice majority. His lead is substantially larger than the margin in the Senate contest.
Governor: JKT near 50%
The Kreiss-Tomkins/Johnson ticket had 107,166 votes, or 49.42%, followed by Bernadette Wilson and Mike Shower with 62,500 votes, or 28.82%.
The Bronson/Church ticket had 30,488 votes, or 14.06%. Taylor/English had 16,078 votes, or 7.41%, and write-ins totaled 616.
| Ticket | First-choice votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kreiss-Tomkins/Johnson | 107,166 | 49.42% |
| Wilson/Shower | 62,500 | 28.82% |
| Bronson/Church | 30,488 | 14.06% |
| Taylor/English | 16,078 | 7.41% |
| Write-ins | 616 | 0.28% |
Kreiss-Tomkins led Wilson by 44,666 votes. The three Republican tickets collectively received 109,066 first-choice votes, which means Republicans got 1,900 more than Kreiss-Tomkins. Whether those voters ranked other Republican tickets will determine how much of that combined support reaches a continuing Republican candidate.
The division listed all precincts as reporting in these races.
A larger update is expected Tuesday, Nov. 10.
