Peltola Takes Slight Lead in Alaska Senate Race as Votes Are Counted
The Hill reported that Democrat Mary Peltola had taken a slight lead over Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, while CBS News reported that the race was still undecided.
Democrat Mary Peltola has taken a "slight lead" in Alaska's Senate race against Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, according to a report by The Hill, which said the margin stood at about 500 votes. The outlet attributed the results to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ), and its report on the Alaska Senate contest, written by Ford McCracken, described the development in those terms.
The Hill reported that as of almost 11 a.m. Wednesday, Peltola led with 48.2 percent to Sullivan's 47.9 percent. The same summary cited a figure of 70 percent but did not say what share of the vote or which count that number measured, so the figure is not explained in the report. According to The Hill, the result could put a possible eighth flip in the Senate within reach, a reference the summary did not expand upon.
CBS News reported a different framing in a video report by Taurean Small, describing the Alaska Senate race as "still undecided" with the two candidates separated by a narrow margin. According to the CBS News summary, votes are still being counted between incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola. The CBS News video report did not state the vote totals that The Hill cited.
The two accounts differ in emphasis but not in their basic description of the race. The Hill focused on Peltola holding a lead of about 500 votes, while CBS News focused on the count still being in progress. Neither source reports that a winner has been called, and neither says when the count will be complete. The final margin is not stated in either report.
Sources: The Hill: Peltola takes slight lead in Alaska Senate race; CBS News: Alaska Senate race still undecided, Peltola and Sullivan separated by narrow margin.