Democrat Mary Peltola declares victory against Trump-backed Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s controversial Senate race with ‘decoy’ candidate

Democrat Mary Peltola has declared a “pending victory” over Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s closely watched Senate race, saying the remaining votes cannot change the outcome. The contest has drawn attention over allegations that a second candidate named Dan Sullivan was recruited to confuse voters, while the result remains officially undecided.

With 96 per cent of ballots processed, Peltola has 49.8 per cent and leads by more than 10,000 votes; Sullivan has about 46.1 per cent, and the unaffiliated namesake has received more than 4,500 votes. Alaska aims to finish counting outstanding ballots by 18 November; if no candidate exceeds 50 per cent, ranked-choice tabulation will determine the winner. The article also reports an FBI investigation into the “decoy” candidate allegations.