Trump Sparks Election Controversy by Declaring Republican Winner Before Alaska Finishes Counting Ballots

President Donald Trump has declared Republican Senator Dan Sullivan the winner of Alaska’s closely contested Senate election, despite approximately 25 per cent of the votes remaining uncounted.

In a post on Truth Social on Saturday, Trump announced that the race was over and Sullivan had secured a decisive victory.

“The Alaska Race is OVER. Dan Sullivan WON, BY A LOT!” the president wrote.

However, no other official announcement has declared Sullivan the winner, with the election results still too close to determine the eventual outcome.

Peltola Maintains Narrow Lead as Counting Continues

With approximately 74 per cent of ballots counted by Saturday afternoon, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola was leading the Trump-backed incumbent by just 637 votes.

The remaining ballots could still change the outcome, with election officials potentially needing until late November to complete the process.

The contest has attracted significant attention following allegations that Democrats recruited another candidate with the same name as Sullivan to split votes and improve Peltola’s chances.

The second Dan Sullivan, described as a potential decoy candidate, has received approximately 3,500 votes.

Peltola Urges Supporters to Remain Patient

Trump’s announcement came roughly 30 minutes after Peltola shared a video on X addressing voters and commenting on the ongoing counting process.

She said she hoped Alaskans were enjoying the absence of campaign attack advertisements and political mailers.

Peltola also urged patience as officials continued processing outstanding ballots.

“We are being patient waiting for more ballots to come in.

In Alaska, it just takes a little bit longer as we wait for all of the ballots to come in,” she said.

Earlier, on Thursday, the Democratic candidate had argued that the outstanding votes were likely to strengthen her position.

In a post on X, she said tens of thousands of early and absentee ballots were still outstanding and claimed available data suggested they would favour her campaign and extend her lead.

Sullivan Predicts Victory Under Ranked-Choice Voting

Sullivan has also expressed confidence about the outcome, pointing to Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system.

In a statement published on his website the day after the election, the Republican senator said he expected to prevail once the state’s voting system was fully applied.

Under Alaska’s electoral rules, a candidate who receives more than 50 per cent of first-choice votes wins outright.

If no candidate secures a majority, the candidate with the fewest first-choice votes is eliminated.

Ballots cast for that candidate are then redistributed according to voters’ next preferences.

The process continues until a candidate secures the required majority.

Outstanding Ballots Could Delay Final Decision Until Late November

The final outcome may not become clear until later this month, as election officials continue processing outstanding ballots.

Tuesday, November 10, is scheduled to bring in the largest batch of remaining ballots.

If either Peltola or Sullivan reaches the 50 per cent threshold at that stage, a winner could potentially be declared.

However, the deadline for completing the count of other absentee, mail-in and provisional ballots is November 18.

The Alaska Division of Elections has set November 25 as the target date for officially certifying the results.

With as many as 70,000 potential votes still awaiting processing, both campaigns remain focused on how the outstanding ballots could affect the final tally.

FBI Questions Peltola’s Former Campaign Manager Over Alleged Decoy Scheme

The disputed candidacy of the second Dan Sullivan has also attracted the attention of federal investigators.

Two sources familiar with the investigation told the Daily Mail that FBI agents questioned Peltola’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, on Election Day.

According to the sources, investigators approached Rios in Chicago on Tuesday as part of an accelerated criminal investigation into the alleged scheme.

One source described the investigation as “Full speed ahead.”

Rios is alleged to have played a role in recruiting the second Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters and divert support away from the Republican incumbent.

Peltola has denied having any involvement in the alleged arrangement.

Second Sullivan Denies Links to Peltola’s Campaign

The second Dan Sullivan has repeatedly maintained that he entered the Senate race independently and had no contact with Peltola’s campaign.

However, his whereabouts have reportedly been unknown since approximately a week before Election Day.

He reportedly left his hometown two days before a New York Times report was published accusing the former teacher of being a liberal plant recruited to influence the election.

Sullivan’s campaign has strongly criticised the alleged arrangement, describing it as “the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of Alaska.”

The FBI investigation and the continuing ballot count have added further uncertainty to an already closely contested Senate race.