Fastrack · Trump Claims Sullivan Won Alaska Race Before Full Count

President Donald Trump declared Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan the winner of Alaska's Senate race on Saturday. No one else has called the race.

74% of votes counted; Democrat Mary Peltola holds a narrow lead.
637 first-choice votes separated Peltola and Sullivan as of Wednesday afternoon.
200,000-plus ballots had been counted at that point.
A second Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, also appeared on the ballot.

Why it matters: Trump says Sullivan leads once votes for two other candidates are added to his total. Those candidates are Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Republican Gerald Heikes.

Trump said Heikes was fraudulently put into the race.
An Alaska legal expert told Newsweek state law offers no basis for reassigning votes.

The story so far

117 steps · since Oct 9

Oct 9–14
Oct 146:27 PMJustice Department Sues California Over Alleged Noncitizen Mail Ballots59 sources
Oct 15–22
Oct 234:53 AMTrump Admin Moves to Block Alaska Senate Result If Sullivan Loses83 sources
Oct 23–28
Oct 2810:51 AMDemocrats Accused of Recruiting Second Dan Sullivan in Alaska76 sources
Oct 28
Oct 283:05 PMFederal Prosecutor Confirms Probe of Alleged Alaska Decoy Candidate62 sources
Oct 28–Nov 7
Nov 73:25 PMTrump Claims Sullivan Won Alaska Race Before Full CountYou are hereLatest

How 11 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

High

Mixed

Low

Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 11 sources

11 sources · 12 articles · 46% Right coverage

Where they split: Coverage differs on whether the second Sullivan's candidacy was an effort to confuse voters or a side issue to Trump's premature claim.

Center2 sources

Newsweek5hRanked-Choice Twist: The Other Dan Sullivan and the Numbers to Win Alaska The Hill17hAlaska governor gives vote count update in ‘very close’ Senate race

Left coverage, 4 sources: The left sees Trump pushing a claim of victory that the vote count and state election law do not support.

Raw Story1dTrump melts down over red state Senate race he insists his ally won ‘BY A LOT’Political Wire8hTrump Continues to Claim GOP Win in Alaska Mediaite1dDonald Trump Claims ‘The Alaska Race is OVER’ And ‘Dan Sullivan WON, BY A LOT!’The Washington Post14hWith counting still underway, Trump continues to claim GOP win in Alaska

Right coverage, 5 sources: The right sees a tight race clouded by a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot that Republicans call a decoy.

Daily Mail1dTrump claims Republican Dan Sullivan has won Alaska election despite 25% of votes not yet being counted New York Post1dTrump declares Alaska Senate race 'OVER' and claims Republican won OutKick10hDunleavy calls Alaska voting system ‘very confusing’ as razor-thin Senate race frozen in time PJ Media1dTrump: If Sen. Sullivan Had Decoy Dan’s Votes, There’d Be No Uncalled Race Twitchy15hWe SEE You: DataRepublican Makes One Thing BRUTALLY Clear to a Giddy Mary Peltola and HOOBOY

What’s next: Alaska's ranked-choice tabulation is set for Nov. 18. Roughly a quarter of votes remained uncounted as of Saturday.

Republicans called Sullivan Jr. a decoy; the Alaska Supreme Court let him run.
How ranked-choice redistribution will shift the Peltola–Sullivan margin.
Whether Trump or Republicans will formally challenge the votes for Heikes or Sullivan Jr.