Alaska Senate Race Undecided as Peltola Narrowly Leads and Trump, FBI Focus on Second 'Dan Sullivan'

Democrat Mary Peltola led Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by fewer than 700 votes, 637 by one count, with about 75 percent of votes reported as of Thursday, according to the Associated Press, in Alaska's undecided U.S. Senate race. A second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, who shares the incumbent's name, had drawn about 3,500 votes. President Trump wrote Thursday that the incumbent should receive the votes cast for the other Sullivan. A New York Times analysis suggested Peltola was on track to win. A final call could take weeks because Alaska's votes are hard to tally given the state's size and rural nature.

The Justice Department has sought to intervene in the race, citing voter confusion, and recently sent target letters to Democratic operatives. The Daily Mail, citing two unnamed sources, reported that FBI agents questioned Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, in Chicago on Tuesday, Election Day, over her alleged role in recruiting the second Sullivan. Peltola has denied involvement. Sen. Sullivan said he remains confident of keeping his seat.

The New York Times, the left-leaning outlet here, leads with Trump's new move and the unfinished count. It notes Peltola's lead and its own projection that she is on track to win, and its headline casts Trump as taking "fresh aim" at the state. The right-leaning Daily Mail and The Blaze lead with the alleged "decoy" scheme. The Daily Mail stresses an accelerating FBI probe, anonymous sources calling it "full speed ahead," and conservative fears the spoiler could decide the race. The Blaze foregrounds Sullivan's confidence and the alleged cheating, and describes Peltola as "volatile." All sides cite the narrow margin and the unfinished count. They differ on the center of the story: the left focuses on Trump and the count, the right on the alleged scheme and investigation. Axios, as an alternative outlet, largely tracks the Trump and DOJ angle and adds the voter-confusion rationale.