After the Deep South, the Far North Votes Blue, Too

By Yiannis Damellos and Mars Strangelove Jr.

November 14, 2026

Alaska elects its first Democratic governor in nearly three decades as Mary Peltola moves closer to a Senate victory, delivering another setback to Trump's Republican coalition amid a bitter election controversy.

The political map of the United States is changing in places where Republicans have long expected to prevail. After Democrats made significant gains across traditionally Republican territory in the November midterms, Alaska has delivered another striking result. Democrat Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins has defeated three Republican candidates to capture the governorship, ending nearly three decades of Republican control. His victory is particularly significant because it came against a field that included Bernadette Wilson, President Donald Trump's preferred candidate.

At 37, Kreiss-Tomkins will become the youngest governor in Alaska's history and the first Democrat elected to the office since Tony Knowles won in 1998. His campaign focused on the issues that have increasingly shaped American elections: affordability, energy costs, public education and access to essential services. He also promised a bipartisan administration, drawing support from independents and Republicans, including Senator Lisa Murkowski. His victory gives Democrats control of 30 governorships nationwide, compared with 24 before the recent electoral gains.

But the governorship may not be the only Republican-held institution Alaska is preparing to hand to Democrats. Former Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola is leading Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan in a Senate contest that could further reshape the balance of power in Washington. According to the latest Decision Desk HQ figures, Peltola has reached 49.8 percent of the vote and leads Sullivan by more than 10,000 votes. NBC News' Decision Desk has characterized the race as likely Democratic, although the result has not yet been officially called.

Alaska's ranked-choice voting system makes the final stage particularly important. A candidate must secure more than 50 percent of first-choice votes to win outright. If nobody reaches that threshold, the candidate finishing last is eliminated and ballots are redistributed according to voters' subsequent preferences. Peltola remains just short of the required majority, and the decisive tabulation is scheduled for November 18. If she wins, Democrats will gain another Senate seat, strengthening their majority in the chamber.

The contest has also been clouded by an unusual political controversy involving two candidates named Dan Sullivan. Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan faced another candidate, retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose name appeared on the same ballot. A New York Times investigation alleged that individuals associated with Peltola's campaign and Democratic political organizations helped recruit the second Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters and weaken the incumbent. Peltola's campaign has denied involvement in the alleged scheme. The Justice Department opened an investigation and filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent certification if the Republican senator lost, but a federal judge dismissed that lawsuit. A separate criminal investigation remains underway, and no wrongdoing by Peltola has been established.

President Trump had made Sullivan's re-election a priority, traveling to Alaska to campaign for the Republican incumbent. The Senate contest consequently became more than a local political battle. It turned into a test of the president's influence in a state where Republicans have traditionally enjoyed considerable support. With Peltola maintaining her lead despite the controversy, the administration faces the prospect of losing another Senate seat in a state Trump personally tried to keep in Republican hands.

Alaska's results also carry a broader message about the changing political geography of the United States. The Democratic gains are no longer confined to metropolitan strongholds or traditionally liberal coastal states. From the Deep South to the Far North, voters have demonstrated a willingness to cross established party lines, while affordability, public services and the performance of elected officials have become central questions. The governorship is settled; the Senate result awaits its final count. But Alaska has already added another important chapter to the Democrats' November electoral gains.