Republican Dan Sullivan declares victory in Alaska's U.S. Senate race

Republican Dan Sullivan declares victory in Alaska&#039;s U.S. Senate race

(Image credit: David Ryder/Getty Images)

last updated 10 January 2015

A week after election night, Alaska Republican Dan Sullivan said early Wednesday that with the ballots counted on Tuesday, Sen. Mark Begich (D) won't be able to make up the 7,911-vote gap in the uncertified tally. The Associated Press agreed, naming Sullivan the winner of the close contest. There are still an unknown number of votes to count, mostly from Alaska's far-out communities. Alaska hopes to certify the election results by Nov. 28.

Begich hasn't conceded the race. "Sen. Begich believes every vote deserves to be counted in this election," campaign manager Susanne Fleek-Green told AP early Wednesday. "There are tens of thousands of outstanding votes and Sen. Begich has heard from rural Alaskans that their votes deserve to be counted and their voices deserve to be heard." In the gubernatorial race, independent Bill Walker maintains a roughly 4,000-vote lead over Gov. Sean Parnell (R). Walker plans on naming a transition team later today.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.