Alaska voters participated in primary elections on Tuesday to determine which candidates will advance to the November general election. The ballot featured 16 candidates for the U.S. Senate, as well as races for the U.S. House, the governorship, and various seats in the state legislature. The state uses an all-party primary system where the top four vote-getters advance regardless of party affiliation.
The primary results will set the stage for a general election that utilizes ranked-choice voting, a system approved by Alaska voters in 2020. This year marks the third consecutive election cycle in which Alaska's federal races are considered significant for determining partisan control of the U.S. Congress. As of August 3, the state recorded approximately 602,000 registered voters, with 63% identifying as nonpartisan or undeclared, 24% as Republicans, and 12% as Democrats.
In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is seeking a third term. He is challenged by Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola, who raised $18.5 million for her campaign compared to Sullivan's $11.7 million. Another candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a former teacher who filed as a Republican, is also on the ballot following a court ruling that rejected efforts to remove him over concerns regarding name similarity with the incumbent.
The scale of the election is significant for the U.S. Senate, where the seat is expected to influence which party holds the majority. In the U.S. House, incumbent Republican Nick Begich is defending the state’s lone seat against independent challenger Bill Hill. While Begich has a larger campaign fund of $5.5 million compared to Hill's $1.3 million, Hill has secured endorsements from local unions and a leading Democrat who exited the race. These contests will determine the legal rights and representation of Alaskans in Washington, D.C., and Juneau starting in January 2027.
The results will also impact the structure of the Alaska state legislature, where all 40 House seats and 10 of 20 Senate seats are contested. Although Republicans hold a numerical majority, the chambers are currently governed by multiparty coalitions. The primary results will narrow the fields for the November 3 general election, which occurs in 77 days. Final tabulation of mail-in ballots is expected to continue for up to 12 days after the primary, as occurred in 2024 when 100% of votes were not reported until nearly two weeks after the election.