Alaskans wait for more votes in US Senate, governor's races. Both could go to ranked tabulations

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaskans settled in Wednesday to await more results from key races on the general election ballot, including a bitterly fought U.S. Senate campaign and an open seat for governor.

A ballot measure seeking to repeal Alaska's unique system of open primaries and ranked vote general elections also was too early to call.

If no candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, rankings will come into play. Alaska accepts ballots from overseas voters for up to 15 days after the election, making Nov. 18 the date targeted by state elections officials to tabulate under the ranked vote system.

The major candidates in the Senate race are two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola.

In the governor's race, former state lawmaker Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins is trying to become the first Democrat elected to the office in a generation. He faces three other Republicans, including business owner Bernadette Wilson, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.

The contest dominated headlines ahead of Tuesday's election and attracted the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice.

With less than two weeks before Election Day, the agency sued at President Donald Trump’s direction seeking to block certification of the race if Sullivan loses. The lawsuit cited potential confusion with another Sullivan on the ballot, retired teacher Dan J. Sullivan .

A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit , but the department has appealed.

Suspicions long held by the senator and his supporters that the lesser-known Sullivan was running to sow confusion gained new life last week, when The New York Times reported that top political aides to Peltola appeared to be involved in recruiting him.

The report was based on interviews with a former Peltola campaign manager, who was fired shortly before the August primary. It also cited text messages and campaign finance documents indicating that an operative trying to recruit candidates was paid by a group backing Peltola.

Federal authorities have confirmed the existence of a criminal investigation in the matter.

Peltola denied any involvement . Dan J. Sullivan, who has denied running at the behest of Democrats, has not responded to messages seeking comment in the last week.

The senator elevated the issue in his closing argument to voters and questioned Peltola's denials.

On Wednesday his campaign expressed confidence in Sullivan's chances, “despite the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska” and “despite a bloodbath for Republicans everywhere else in the country.”

Both campaigns urged patience as the ballot count continues.

Peltola addressed supporters Tuesday night after news broke that Democrats had won enough seats to gain control of the Senate. She was joyful — even taking a selfie with the crowd — but said it will take time for the state to count ballots.

Alaska allows up to 10 days to receive absentee ballots sent from within the U.S., a timeline that can be critical for ballots from rural Alaska communities that are often accessible only by air or water and rely on air service for mail delivery.

“It’s going to take a long time to make sure we’re counting every vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young people going to colleges,” Peltola said.

Kreiss-Tomkins expressed excitement about the early vote results when speaking to supporters on election night, saying, “What a night this is for the future of our state.”

He cast himself as a consensus builder in the race to succeed term-limited Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy and said he would work across party lines to address the state's challenges.

State Republican leaders urged their voters to rank the three GOP candidates in the race to maximize the party's chances of success.

But Trump, speaking at a rally in support of Republican candidates including Sullivan and Wilson last month in Wasilla, called ranked voting a “scam.” And he railed on social media against the other two Republican gubernatorial candidates, former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson and former state Attorney General Treg Taylor.

Wilson said in a statement Wednesday that she was “cautiously optimistic for the days ahead.”

Alaska's last Democratic governor was Tony Knowles, who had back-to-back terms from 1994 to 2002. The state had an independent governor from 2014 to 2018.

Alaskans were asked to decide for the second time in two years on a ballot measure seeking to repeal the open primary and ranked vote general election system.

Voters approved the system in 2020, and it took effect for elections in 2022. Voters narrowly rejected a repeal effort two years ago.