Trump declares Sullivan winner in Alaska before count ends
Donald Trump declared Republican Senator Dan Sullivan the winner of Alaska's Senate race on Saturday, despite the count being incomplete. Democrat Mary Peltola currently leads with 48.2% to Sullivan's 47.9% with 74% of votes counted. Trump argued on Truth Social that combining votes for Sullivan with fellow Republicans Gerald Heikes and Daniel J. Sullivan, whom he called Democratic "bait," gives Sullivan a decisive lead. He demanded an immediate victory announcement, though Peltola leads by roughly 600 votes. Alaska's slow counting process allows up to 10 days for ballots to arrive and 15 days for overseas votes. The state uses ranked-choice voting, redistributing ballots from eliminated candidates to voters' next preferences.