Alaska Senate Race Outcome Hinges on Ranked-Choice Voting

Alaska's Senate race outcome may be delayed for days, but analysts say the state's ranked-choice voting system will neutralize any impact from "decoy" candidate Daniel Sullivan Jr., countering President Donald Trump's claims. With 74 percent of votes counted Friday, Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Senator Dan Sullivan 48.17 percent to 47.88 percent, with two minor candidates holding about 4 percent combined. The ranked-choice system, approved by Alaskans in 2020, eliminates last-place candidates and transfers their votes to voters' next choices until a majority winner emerges. Trump has called the system "corrupt" and pushed for votes cast for Sullivan Jr. to be transferred directly to the incumbent, but a federal lawsuit seeking to block certification was dismissed by a state judge. Alaska will accept overseas ballots until November 18, and an attempt to repeal ranked-choice voting is currently losing 52 percent to 48 percent.