Mary Peltola Leads Dan Sullivan 48.1%-42.7% in Alaska Senate Primary as 80% Counted
Updated
Updated · CNN · Aug 19
Mary Peltola Leads Dan Sullivan 48.1%-42.7% in Alaska Senate Primary as 80% Counted
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Aug 19
Summary
With about 80% of ballots counted, Democrat Mary Peltola led incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan 48.1% to 42.7% in Alaska’s all-party Senate primary, an unusually direct preview of their November matchup.
Advance ballots make up much of the vote still outstanding, and Peltola has run well on those ballots so far, leaving room for her margin to widen toward 50%.
Sullivan’s showing is weak for an incumbent: more than 57% of voters backed someone else, and Republican-listed candidates were drawing only about 45.7%, below GOP shares in the state’s House and governor primaries.
Turnout is projected near 160,000 votes—about 60% of Alaska’s 2022 midterm electorate—suggesting Tuesday’s electorate may resemble November more closely than the lighter 2024 primary did.
That matters nationally because Democrats likely need to win at least two Trump-by-double-digits states such as Alaska, Iowa, Ohio or Texas to capture a Senate majority.