Donald Trump Claims Republican Won Alaska Senate Race Despite Democrat Leading as He Demands Independent Candidates' Votes Be Added to GOP's Total
Donald Trump insisted Republican Dan Sullivan had won Alaska's Senate race despite Democrat Mary Peltola leading the vote count.
Nov. 8 2026, Published 1:40 p.m. ET
Donald Trump claimed Republicans have won Alaska's Senate race despite a Democrat currently leading the vote count, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The president argued that votes cast for two independent candidates should instead be added to Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan's total.
Donald Trump Claims Republican Won Senate Race
Donald Trump argued that votes cast for two independent candidates should have been added to Republican Dan Sullivan's total.
In a November 7 Truth Social post, Trump insisted Sullivan was actually ahead of Democrat Mary Peltola, despite the current results showing otherwise.
"Daniel Sullivan is leading substantially in the Alaska Senatorial Race. When you add Daniel (3,600, 1.68%) into Dan, and Gerald Heikes (4,846, 2.27%), Senator Dan Sullivan is up by thousands of Votes," the president wrote.
Peltola currently has 48.17 percent of the vote, compared with Sullivan's 47.88 percent. Independent candidates Gerald Heikes and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. have received 2.27 percent and 1.68 percent, respectively.
Trump wants the independent candidates' votes included in the Republican senator's total, which would put Sullivan ahead.
Donald Trump made the claim on Truth Social on November 7.
Why the Votes Can't Simply Be Added
However, Alaska uses ranked-choice voting and all the Independent votes don't automatically belong to the Republican candidate.
However, the problem with Trump's argument is that Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, meaning voters can rank candidates in order of preference.
If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the initial vote, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.
Those ballots are then redistributed based on voters' next choices.
That means votes for the independent candidates could go to Sullivan, Peltola, or another candidate, depending on how each person ranked their choices.
They do not automatically belong to the Republican.
Only 75 percent of ballots have been counted, and Alaska is scheduled to complete its ranked-choice tabulation on November 18.
Donald Trump Declares Race 'OVER'
Donald Trump declared the Alaska Senate race "OVER" despite 25 percent of ballots remaining uncounted.
Despite the outstanding ballots, Trump insisted there was no reason to wait for the official results.
"I don't know what takes so long to announce his win. This should be immediate!" he wrote.
The president also accused Heikes of being fraudulent without providing evidence.
"Anyone voting for Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., a man who tried to change his middle initial, but was unable to get it done in time, and who was otherwise nonpolitical – Never even voted – is a vote for Senator Dan Sullivan," Trump continued. "The Alaska Race is OVER. Dan Sullivan WON, BY A LOT!"
Never Miss an
Daily updates from the heart of Hollywood, right to your inbox
By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
Stephen Miller Joins the Election Dispute
Stephen Miller described the Alaska Senate race as "one of the most egregious attacks we have seen on the integrity of American elections."
Trump isn't the only member of his administration questioning the Alaska results.
Newly appointed White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller has also criticized the race in a post on X.
He called the situation "one of the most egregious attacks we have seen on the integrity of American elections."
Miller also claimed the two Sullivans appearing on the ballot showed "pure contempt for voters" and blamed Democrats.
