Alaska and Mississippi Senate races remain unresolved

Summarised from 3 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 4 Nov, 19:51 · Archive

Senate races in Alaska and Mississippi remain unresolved Wednesday with weeks of counting potentially ahead.

Two Senate races remained unresolved on Wednesday as counting continued across the United States. In Alaska, incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola are competing in a race that has drawn attention because two other candidates on the ballot are also named Dan Sullivan: an independent candidate and retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan, and another Republican, Gerald Heikes.

With around three-quarters of the vote counted as of Wednesday morning, the race remained a toss-up. Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system allowing voters to rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50% first-place support, the count enters a second round. This tabulation does not occur until 15 days after election day, meaning the process could extend for weeks.

Peltola told reporters early Wednesday: 'The results are not going to be fast. But Alaskans are patient. We just want to make sure the folks [in] the Lower 48 know it won't be hours, it won't be days, it will be weeks.' The outcome in Alaska could either add to Democrats' Senate majority or provide Republicans relief by limiting Democratic gains, after Democrats already secured enough seats to take control of the chamber.

How it is being reported

• The latest on the extremely close Mississippi and Alaska Senate racesThe Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska are shaping up to be two of the closest contests from the 2026 midterm elections. CBS News' Anthony Salvanto takes a look at where the ballot tally stands.CBS News · 4 Nov, 23:21
• Senate races in Mississippi, Alaska could take a while to determineOne day after Election Day, the Alaska and Mississippi races were outstanding and may not be announced for days or weeks.UPI · 4 Nov, 23:00
• US midterms 2026: What key races remain undecided?Key races in Alaska, Mississippi, Kansas and California remain uncounted.Al Jazeera · 4 Nov, 19:18
• Senate race unresolved in Alaska with weekslong process possibleThe Senate race in Alaska, which has garnered widespread attention with two candidates named Dan Sullivan, remains in limbo.CBS News · 4 Nov, 15:32
• Where the toss-up Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska standThe Senate races in Mississippi and Alaska remain unresolved as of Wednesday morning. CBS News elections and surveys executive director Anthony Salvanto has more.CBS News · 4 Nov, 15:19

In this story: Dan Sullivan · Mary Peltola · Alaska · Mississippi

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log