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JUNEAU — Republican Dan Sullivan extended his lead over Democratic Sen. Mark Begich in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race Tuesday.
Sullivan widened his lead by several hundred votes as election workers began counting the remaining 50,000 or so absentee, questioned and early-voted ballots from last week’s election.
News reporters and observers affiliated with candidates or political parties watched as election workers opened ballots, reviewed those in which voters’ qualifications were questioned, and tallied votes in election centers in Juneau and other parts of the state.
Sullivan led Begich by about 8,100 votes on Election Night last week, and the margin remained about the same as more votes were counted Tuesday night.
But Begich is no stranger to come-from-behind wins. In 2008, Republican Sen. Ted Stevens led Begich by about 3,000 votes in a race Begich won about two weeks later by fewer than 4,000 votes.
The dynamics of that race were different, however, with the election coming days after a jury found Stevens guilty in a federal corruption trial. The case was later tossed out by a judge, prompting many Republicans to believe Begich’s win was a fluke.
Republicans in Alaska, as in other states, made this race a referendum on President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Obama lost in Alaska by wide margins in 2008 and 2012.
Republicans have said Sullivan’s lead is insurmountable. But Begich has said every vote should be counted — a point his campaign spokesman, Max Croes, reiterated Tuesday.
“Tens of thousands of votes remain uncounted, and those Alaskans deserve for their voices to be heard,” Croes said by email. “The Division of Elections has not yet begun to count outstanding ballots for significant portions of the state.”
Begich has returned to Washington, D.C., as Congress gears up to finish out this session.
While the race had been closely watched nationally because of its potential to help decide control of the Senate, that drama has been decided. The GOP has already picked up the seats it needs.
Also Tuesday, Alaskans hoped to get greater clarity on the governor’s race. Incumbent Republican Gov. Sean Parnell trailed independent candidate Bill Walker by about 3,000 votes.
AP, NBC and Fox have all called the race, Alaska will have a new Senator when Congress is reconvened in 2015! Congratulations Senator-elect Dan Sullivan!
Mark Begich, hang in there and if you do not keep this seat I would like you to prepare to take Lisa's seat from her in 2016.
Alaskans need to keep in mind that Lisa Murkowski was caught allowing lobbyists for the oil industry write our countries energy policy and legislation to limit what EPA can do to limit greenhouse gases from the major emitters in our country.
Our country must take the leadership role in combating climate change and we can't do that if our representatives in congress work for the oil industry. The biggest threat to our national security is climate change. Our state is also at ground zero for climate change. Lisa Murkowski does not work in the best interest of Alaskans, she works in the best interests of the oil industry ....
Lisa may toss Alaskans a crumb here and there, but Lisa is one of the biggest threats to our state, to Alaskans, to future Alaskans and to our country. She has to go.
I might go along with AP, and NBC, but as long as FOX MUSE says it to be true there is a a lot of doubt in mind!
Nothing against Sen. Begich personally, he seems like a fine man. However, we need change badly. The Obama admin has done so much damage to this country (a lot of it yet to be experienced, but that will change in '16). If there is anything to say about Sen. Begich, its that he was just hanging out with the wrong crowd.
Unemployment is loweer than it has been in years, more jobs have been developed thanthen there have been have in years, andyhe economy is stronger than than it has been in years. You are right in once sense though. The American people will realize after this election that change is necessary, but it is NOT with the big mistake that they maade this past Tuesday!