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Return of the Muskox Caucus: Edgmon takes control of House?

Rep. Bryce Edgmon of Dillingham wasted no time in organizing what he hopes to be a majority coalition in the Alaska House of Representatives, led by himself as House speaker, Rep. Louise Stutes as Rules chair, and Rep.-elect Chuck Kopp as majority leader.

Edgmon, who is a former Democrat but on paper is not aligned with a party, announced the new majority coalition to the Alaska Landmine publication.

Stutes is one of the members of the former Muskox Caucus, which made a deal with Democrats before most of the Muskox members were unelected, leaving Stutes of Kodiak as the only remaining legislator from that era. Kopp has been a member of Democrat-led organizations when he served previously in the House.

The trio said they support the “Percent of Market Value” program in statute that currently prioritizes government spending and limits the Permanent Fund dividend to Alaskans. They support “stable public education funding to reduce class sizes and improve outcomes.” They want to return the state workforce to the costly defined benefits plan. And they want energy development.

The group invited other legislators to join their organization. There has been no formal word about Republicans who have pledged to join, although several names are being mentioned as Republicans who are interested in inclusion in what would be an organization that would unseat Speaker Cathy Tilton of Wasilla.

Who wore it better? Anchorage Assemblywoman dresses like fictional ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ concubine for official city meeting

Anchorage Assemblywoman Karen Bronga is evidently upset with the national election of Donald Trump for president. So upset, she expressed her Trump Derangement Syndrome distress by dressing up as a concubine modeled after a character from Margaret Atwood’s “A Handmaid’s Tale,” a dystopian novel about a time when women are kept as breeding stock, due to low fertility levels in the human population.

Dressed in red with a white modesty bonnet, Bronga sat in her seat at the Assembly chambers for the official meeting, which had been postponed from its usual Tuesday time. You can see the meeting on YouTube:

Women like Bronga, who are often dealing with a lot of personal trauma, have worn these costumes to protest Donald Trump in general, as their way of calling him a fascist.

On Tuesday, one woman — not in Alaska — was observed wearing such a costume to her polling place. While Republicans wearing “MAGA” hats were removed from or forced to remove their hats at polling stations for “electioneering,” women dressed in these concubine outfits were not considered partisans by election officials.

Trump has won Alaska by 55% of the vote so far, his highest win ever in the 49th state.

What did Alaska’s D.C. delegation say about Trump’s historic win?

After Donald Trump staged the biggest comeback in American political history on Nov. 5, 2024, the Alaska delegation had a decidedly mixed reaction.

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan was congratulatory, issuing a fullsome statement that was optimistic about Alaska and the future of the country:

“I want to congratulate President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance on their historic victory last night and I want to thank the hundreds of thousands of Alaskans who took the time to make their voices heard at the ballot box. I also want to congratulate my new and returning Senate colleagues on their hard-fought victories—returning Republicans to the majority in the U.S. Senate,” Sullivan said. “This election came down to the simple fact that millions of Americans were better off under a Trump presidency than under the last four years of the Biden-Harris administration. For Alaskans, the choice in this election was particularly stark, and in my view, it wasn’t even a close call. President Trump and his administration were an incredible partner to Alaska, listening to our concerns, taking actions to promote economic opportunity and good paying jobs, and putting Alaskans in the driver’s seat of our state’s destiny. 

“Under the Biden-Harris administration, with strong help from Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Alaska sustained an unprecedented onslaught of negative, unwarranted federal actions—treatment no other state has ever experienced. With 67 executive orders and actions targeting our state, the Biden-Harris administration has sought to unravel the progress we achieved under the Trump administration by locking up our lands, killing our jobs, and harming our economy, all the while ignoring the voices of Alaskans and even defying federal law.

“As I did eight years ago, I will be working closely with President Trump, his administration, and my Senate colleagues to seize the opportunities before us, advance the interests and priorities of Alaskans, and make America stronger and more prosperous than ever before.

“This was a contentious and often heated campaign with strong, sincere feelings on both sides of the aisle. While we may disagree at times on what policies are best for our country, we should never forget that we are all Americans.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who considers Trump a traitor and an enemy of the nation, did not issue a statement. She has indicated in the past that she may switch her party to independent if Trump is elected.

Update: Late on Wednesday evening, Murkowski issued a statement: “I congratulate President Trump on his clear victory. Alaskans, and Americans, have chosen him to lead our nation forward for the next four years, amid many serious challenges that will take all of us to overcome. As I have with every president, I will work with President Trump whenever and wherever possible to advance Alaska’s priorities. I also look forward to working with my colleagues as Republicans re-assume the Senate majority, which will provide additional opportunities for Alaska.”

Murkowski indicated in her statement that now that the Republicans have taken control of the Senate, she will remain a Republican.

Rep. Mary Peltola, who along with Murkowski refused this year to announce who they supported for president, also did not issue a statement. Peltola is currently losing her reelection bid to the U.S. House, which will likely be controlled by Republicans during the next two years. She has been mum for about 24 hours.

Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election on Wednesday morning, but darkly: “There is an adage: Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time.”

Steve Schmidt, the political consultant who in 2008 convinced John McCain to pick Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin for his vice presidential running mate, said this: “Fascism has come to America, and as predicted, it is wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

Hot takes: Alaska’s winners and losers

On Tuesday, Alaskans joined Americans in a record-breaking exercise of their right to vote.

While the country is rightfully processing the roar that is President Donald J. Trump’s historic electoral college and popular vote landslide return to the White House, citizens of the 49th state know that governance closer to home has the most direct impact on their daily lives. 

The coffee is still taking its effect on the sleep deprived eyes, and data from the Alaska Division of Elections is trickling in and will be hampered as the state waits two weeks for Scott Kendall’s Frankenstein of ranked-choice voting to do its laboratory calculations.

Nevertheless, a lot of moves are being made as this is written to organize the state Legislature in January, and the speed of the commentary won’t be able to keep up with events as they unfold.

Without further ado, here is a preliminary list of winners, losers, and “it’s complicated” from Tuesday night:

WINNERS:

Alaskans won on national issues 

The return of the Trump Administration, coupled with a Republican Senate Majority and the chance for the Republicans to hold the House of Representatives for the next Congress, opens the door to huge issues that matter to Alaskans.

Under President Joe Biden, V.P. Kamala Harris, and their environmental lobby-led leadership, Alaska has effectively been locked up, with no new development allowed. ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project, cited in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (emphasis added), needed a near miracle to be permitted, despite the hundreds of millions the company spent to get this multi-billion effort sanctioned. 

ANWR will likely remain in litigation for some time, but that could receive a friendlier ear before judges thanks to the Supreme Court scrapping the often-abused Chevron Deference, empowering bureaucrats to gaslight lawmakers on the bills they passed and snarl every type of project in endless administrative red tape.

The Ambler Road, which has been sanctioned by Congress and the (checks notes) Jimmy Carter administration over forty years ago, may be free from the shackles Biden’s BLM has placed on it illegally and unfairly. 

Alaska’s clout in Congress … mostly 

U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan must be feeling the vibe today. Being back in the majority saddle will be huge to the Marine, and there is a laundry list of deferred Alaska issues that a Republican Congress and a Trump administration can move through next year. 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski might be feeling the burn, as she has suddenly become on the outs with the White House, and possibly with the congressman-elect for Alaska.

Then there is Nick Begich III, possibly congressman-elect.

The grandson of Alaska’s former Democratic Congressman Nick Begich, a nephew to a Democratic former U.S. senator (Mark Begich) and nephew to a former state senator (Tom Begich), NBIII is a Republican entrepreneur who has never held elected office, but who is poised to return Alaska’s lone House seat to the GOP after the hiatus that has been Mary Peltola.

During Peltola’s term, every congressional district that touched the Pacific Ocean was represented in Congress by a Democrat. NBIII is going to change that.

Begich won the old fashioned way, going living room to kitchen to coffee shops in towns and villages throughout Alaska, listening (isn’t that a nice change?) and articulating a modern vision to keep Alaska relevant in the nation and the world, a prerequisite for an effective member of our Congressional delegation.

Despite the name, more associated with Democrats, Begich’s self-made resume contrasted sharply with an anointed special interest scion from Bethel, and the voters recognized that. With his young age, authenticity, and tenacity, there is a long potential public service path for this man. 

Decision Desk HQ says Republicans have 92.4% chance of controlling the House, with a possible 223 Republicans to 212 Democrats, which bodes well for Alaska.

Fresh energy in the Alaska Senate 

Rep. Mike Cronk of Tok and Rep.-elect Rob Yundt of Wasilla join the ranks of the somewhat ecclesiastical upper chamber of Alaska’s Legislature.

One couldn’t cast two more perfectly genuine men who are emphatically Alaskan.

Cronk, the legendary basketballer, teacher, and hunter from Tok via Northway, ascends to the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Click Bishop.

Yundt, the Mat-Su native son who spars in mixed martial arts rings, coaches kids, builds homes, and serves on the local borough assembly, takes aim with his practical small business sense at Juneau, unseating Sen. David Wilson, the incumbent who joined with Democrats in a coalition. 

Alaska’s electoral system

Ballot Measure 2, which repeals the Rube Goldberg rewiring of the state’s election processes, looks like it may pass — barely. The wild card will be the mail-in ballots, which are trending toward “no.”

If the Yes result holds, it is national news, and a stunning repudiation of the state’s burgeoning upper political class who attempted to change this state through experimenting on voters every two years.

Alaskans had the benefit of the 2022 elections to see just how flagrant they were misled by the 2020 initiative that ushered in complicated voting that manipulates the voters.

Called ranked-choice voting for short, the initiative also did away with the primaries that allowed parties to choose their nominees, and it allowed unlimited dark money for ballot initiatives, while restricting such dark money for candidates. 

Alaskans, we hope, grew wise to this gimmick, and the obvious reason it was created: to help re-elect Sen. Murkowksi and empower her affiliates in the state, such as her ally, the ever-litigious attorney Scott Kendall.

Expect this result to get litigated, and for Kendall to bill the public for his time in court. 

LOSERS: 

Alaska small businesses

Voters resoundingly passed ballot measure one, which will raise the state’s minimum wage to $13 an hour next year, eventually rising to $15 an hour.

More pernicious was the blanket requirement for all businesses to provide sick paid leave to employees, regardless of the size of the business.

The last part of the initiative (the real reason the AFL-CIO and all the unions pushed for this) was a ban on businesses effectively holding meetings with their workers when they are considering unionizing. The effect on this collectively will be absorbed by larger, well-capitalized employers.

Expect the hospitality industry in this state, which is overwhelmingly locally owned and operated, to reel pretty heavily. Between Covid lockdowns, inflation on all goods, a labor shortage, and government red tape, the entrepreneur is becoming an endangered species in Alaska. 

Conservative leadership in the Legislature 

If these results hold in state races, expect the State Senate to remain governed by a predominately Democratic-dominated coalition. The House looks similarly poised with the election of Chuck Kopp in south Anchorage and false flag independent Ky Holland.

If both bodies go “bi,” expect a bevy of bills that have been cooled in the conservative House to be unleashed, including a return to budget busting pensions, taxes, and new operating spending plans for government. The tabulations still have to run, and there is the chance for the course to change. But it will take a big one. 

Sen. Lisa Murkowski

If the results nationally hold, Republicans look poised to pick up a 52-53 seat majority. With that margin, Murkowski, who wears her disdain for Trump and much of the state Republican voting base on her sleeve, will be out of the spectrum to be the wannabe power broker of the chamber.

Her political capital has dwindled in many fronts with her Republican colleagues in the Senate, and the return of President Trump does not bode well for facetime in the White House.

Additionally, her endorsement of Democrat Peltola in the congressional race and her opposition to repealing ranked choice voting has not aged well already.

The senior senator looks positioned for an ignominious exit from politics, following in her father’s tradition. 

Pollster Ivan Moore

“IT’S COMPLICATED”

Governor Mike Dunleavy

Dunleavy’s guy won the White House, and the rumors will go from whispers to shouts about whether he will be offered a position in the cabinet of the 47th president.

If so, Dunleavy will cap an incredible run, being only the 3rd Republican governor to win two terms in Alaska, and the first governor since 2002 to be returned to the Third Floor in Juneau.

His support of opposing ranked choice voting resets elections back to where they were before 2020, which is a mean feat. And his support for candidates like Jubilee Underwood, if the returns maybe hold, deepens the bench of fresh conservative talent.

However, some of the governor’s key allies in the Legislature, such as Rep. Craig Johnson and Rep. Thomas Baker look like they were unsuccessful in re-election, and Dunleavy-supported candidates like Lucy Bauer are facing an impossible climb on the absentee votes.

The governor is potentially poised, if he is not selected or does not take a position in the Trump administration, to face a unified and hostile Legislature for the last two years of his tenure.

Is Begich congressman-elect? A look at the numbers

Third-generation Alaskan Nick Begich, on his second run for Congress, is the favorite to win the 2024 race to unseat Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, who won in 2022 after Sarah Palin jumped into the race and the last minute and split the Republicans.

As of Election Night, with all Nov. 5 and all the early votes cast through Oct. 31, Begich, a Republican, is ahead. He has 124,632 votes, for 49.66%. Peltola has 113,612 votes for 45.27%.

Third-party John Wayne Howe has 9,710 votes or 3.87% and Democrat Eric Hafner has 2,446, not quite 1% of the vote.

Only 155 absentee ballots came in from the heavy Peltola districts in rural Alaska, which indicates there will not be a lot more votes for her from that region, where turnout was low. More absentees and other votes received will be counted on Friday or next week.

Begich is on course to win Congress. There are not enough votes to get Peltola over the 50%+1 vote threshold.

It’s going to be hard for Peltola to catch Begich. With the outstanding ballots to be counted, she has to do 4.4% better than she has done with those ballots already counted. Begich only needs .2% to get to 50% of the remaining absentees, questioned, and early votes that came in over the weekend and Monday.

Then there is the ranking. Right now, there are about 10,000 votes from Howe and Hafner to be ranked. Peltola needs all of those, which is nearly mathematically impossible.

The caveat is Alaska has to wait to learn how many questioned, absentee and early votes have not been counted yet.

In Peltola’s favor is that the unreported precincts are all rural, and there are 28 precincts unreported.

However, these are tiny precincts, like Shishmaref, where Peltola got 78% of the vote — and prevailed there by a margin of 111 votes.

Not all the precincts that haven’t reported are that pro-Peltola. Shishmaref is one of her strongest. She might gain about 50 votes per precinct; that would be about 1,000 votes.

But with ranked-choice voting still in effect, Alaska may have to wait until Nov. 20 to have Begich declared the “official” winner. The delay in being able to call him the winner impacts Alaska’s role in Congress, as members are ranked in seniority depending on how long they have been in Congress. As happened for Peltola in 2022, ranked-choice voting put Alaska in nearly last place in seniority, another unwelcome gift by the ranked-choice voting scheme designed by Sen. Lisa Murkowski and her supporters.

Alaska Election Night Live Blog: Trump wins! Begich leads! Check back for updates and photos

We will be live blogging the Alaska results as they come in on election night, starting at about 5 p.m. Polls close at 8 p.m. in Alaska. National race news is in this Must Read Alaska live blog.

10:26 p.m. Here are some races around the state of note, per the 10 p.m. update from the Division of Elections

Senate Seat H: Matt Claman leads Liz Vazquez, 55.32% to 44.37%, with 11 of 13 precincts reporting.

Senate Seat L: Kelly Merrick leads Jared Goecker, 49.75% to 35.60%m with 12 of 13 precincts reporting.

Senate Seat N: Rob Yundt leads incumbent David Wilson, 52.88% to 28.90%, with Stephen Wright getting 16.81%, with 9 of 12 precincts reporting.

Senate Seat P: Scott Kawasaki leads Leslie Hajdukovich, 50.29% to 49.47%, with eight of eight precincts reporting.

Senate Seat R: Mike Cronk leads Savannah Fletcher, 51.45% to 42.40%, with Robert Williams at 5.88%.

House District 1: Jeremy Bynum leads Agnes Moran, 51.30% to 24.68%, Grant Echohawk at 23.87%.

House District 6: Sarah Vance leads Brent Johnson, 49.97% to 38.77%, Dawson Slaughter at 11.03%, with eight of nine precincts reporting.

House District 7: Justin Ruffridge leads Ron Gillham, 59.39% to 39.70%, with six of six precincts reporting.

House District 8: Bill Elam leads John Hillyer, 51.20% to 47.39%, with 11 of 11 precincts reporting.

House District 9: Ky Holland leads Lucy Bauer, 56.11% to 43.64%, with eight of nine precincts reporting.

House District 10: Chuck Kopp leads Craig Johnson, 61.82% to 36.90%, with five of six precincts reporting.

House District 11: Julie Coulombe leads Walter Featherly, 52.74% to 47.13%, with six of seven precincts reporting.

House District 12: Cal Schrage leads Joseph Lurtsema, 59.60% to 40.03%, with six of six precincts reporting.

House District 13: Andy Josephson leads Heather Gottshall, 53.53% to 46.23%, with five of five precincts reporting.

Read all the latest results here.

10:15 p.m. The Alaska Division of Elections posted a 10 p.m. update. It’s a 32% turnout so far in 62% of the state’s precincts.

In the presidential race, Trump has 108,976 or 55.06% and Harris has 80,982 or 40.91% of the Alaska vote, so far. This is out of the 199,361 votes cast, or 32.62% of the 611,078 registered voters in Alaska.

Nick Begich for Congress has 95,757, or 48.85% of the vote, with Mary Peltola getting 89,910 or 45.87%. John Wayne Howe has 8,007, and Eric Hafner has 1,929 votes.

There are 155 precincts outstanding.

9:45 p.m. Trump has 277 electoral votes and will be the next president.

9:44 p.m. On the Northern Kenai Peninsula, Senate Seat D, Sen. Jesse Bjorkman leads with 3,465 votes or 48.3% and Rep. Ben Carpenter has 2,995 votes, 470 votes behind Bjorkman. This is with 14 of 17 precincts reporting.

9:37 p.m. Republican Rep. Mike Cronk running for Senate Seat R has 4,430 votes and Democrat Savannah Fletcher has 2,922 votes, 14 of 48 precincts reporting so far.

Sen. James Kaufman in Senate Seat F, with nine of 13 precincts reporting, has 3,086 votes and Janice Park has 2,579 and Harold Borbridge has 568. Kaufman is almost at 50%.

9:20 p.m. The state Division of Elections website is now down again, second time today.

9:11 p.m. Alaska results are coming in. With 109 precincts out of 403 precincts reporting and 59,825 votes counted, Trump has 33,081 votes and Harris has 23,515 votes, for a 55-39 advantage for Trump.

Nick Begich is up in this same 109 precinct count, which are mostly urban. Begich has 28,574 votes, and Mary Peltola has 26,859, for a 48.6 to 35.6 advantage for Begich. John Wayne How has 2,696 votes, or 4.6% and Eric Hafner has 535 votes for .9%.

Since Sen. Jessie Kiel has around 3,000 votes, that means a large part of Juneau is in — nine of 18 of Juneau precincts are in. It’s highly likely Haines and Skagway are not in, so these are likely the urban parts of the Juneau – Skagway area.

On the Kenai Peninsula, nine of 17 precincts are in. Sen. Jesse Bjorkman has 2,100 votes and Ben Carpenter is at 1,800.

8:30 p.m. Video from the Mat-Su Valley Republican election watch party:

8:28 p.m. Photos from the Anchorage Republican election watch party:

8:05 p.m. Polls are closed in Alaska. Are there still lines where you are? Leave your comments below.

7:30 p.m. Republicans and other supporters of Nick Begich for Congress and Republican candidates are gathered at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Anchorage for an election night party. The party is open to all.

Nearby at the Egan Center, the Alaska Landmine has another election night party, also open to all. He is live-streaming interviews.

Must Read Alaska will be doing some live streaming on Facebook from the Marriott after the polls close. We expect that Nick Begich will be making remarks whether he wins, loses, or there is a draw.

Rep. Mary Peltola has an election night party at 49th State Brewery in downtown Anchorage.

Photos from the Election Night party in Fairbanks:

Election Live Blog: Trump wins! Follow us for the latest updates on national races

Election results will roll in throughout the night on Nov. 5. Must Read Alaska will be updating this page continuously. Alaska races will be live blogged on a separate page. All time stamps are Alaska time:

9:54 p.m. Exclusive live video from election party in Pennsylvania, which Trump won:

9:45 p.m. Trump has 277 electoral votes and will be the next president.

9:30 p.m. Alaska update: Trump now has 57,601 Alaska votes and Harris has 39,150. This a 56.8% vs. 38.6 % or an 18% lead.

Nick Begich for Congress now has 49,846 votes for 49.7% and Mary Peltola has 44,632, for 44.4%. Begich increased his margin from about 2% to about 5%. The winner needs 50% plus 1 vote to win outright.

9:26 p.m. Trump has won Pennsylvania, according to Fox News. AP has not yet called it. Harris has won New Hampshire.

9:04 p.m. Alaska results are coming. With 109 precincts out of 403 precincts, and 59,825 votes counted, Trump has 33,081 votes and Harris has 23,515 votes, for a 55-39 advantage for Trump.

Nick Begich is up in this same 109 precinct count, which are mostly urban. Begich has 28,574 votes, and Mary Peltola has 26,859, for a 48.6 to 35.6 advantage for Begich. John Wayne How has 2,696 votes, or 4.6% and Eric Hafner has 535 votes for .9%

8:50 p.m. Antifa rioters are battling police in downtown Seattle, near the former CHAZ occupation site.

8:46 p.m. Bob Ferguson has been elected Washington state’s new governor, winning 56% of the vote. He is a Democrat, replacing retiring Democrat Gov. Jay Inslee. Ferguson was the state attorney general.

8:40 p.m. Arizona has voted to enshrine abortion in the constitution, meaning a baby can be destroyed up until the point of fetal viability.

8:35 p.m. President Trump is headed from Mar a Lago to the convention center and will be speaking soon. The electoral vote is now Harris – 210 and Trump – 230. The winner needs 270.

7:57 p.m. Republicans have regained the majority in the United States Senate, according to a projection from Decision Desk HQ, with West Virginia and Ohio seats flipped to Republican. Also, Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer has won reelection for Nebraska.

7:50 p.m. U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, a Democrat, was reelected to Virginia’s House seat.

7:18 p.m. Montana Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte has won reelection.

7:15 p.m. Harris has won Washington state. Trump has won Idaho.

7:05 p.m. Trump is projected to win Idaho. Harris is projected to win California, Oregon, and Washington. The current electoral vote balance is Harris 179 and Trump and 214.

7 p.m. NewsMax projects Bernie Moreno has won the Ohio Senate seat for the second Senate flip, taking the seat away from Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown.

6:50 p.m. The Squad member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat, won reelection in New York 14th District, a heavily Democratic area. In Texas, Rep. Monica DeLaCuz has won comfortable reelection to the Fifteenth Congressional District seat.

6:46 p.m. Sen. Ted Cruz has won reelection in Texas.

6:44 p.m. Kelly Ayotte, Republican, has won the governorship in New Hampshire. Republican Mike Kehoe won the governorship in Missouri.

6:38 p.m. NewsMax calls Utah, Montana, Iowa, and Georgia for Trump. The New York Times is projecting that Trump has a 80% chance of winning the election.

5:50 p.m. Trump has won Missouri.

5:37 p.m. Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz won his fifth term in the U.S. House, defeating Democrat Gay Valimont for the state’s First Congressional District.

5:33 p.m. One electoral vote in Nebraska’s large rural area, the Third Congressional District, has gone to Trump. Trump has also won South Carolina.

5:30 p.m. NewsMax has called North Carolina for Trump.

5:26 p.m. Republican Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida’s 19th Congressional District has won reelection in a landslide — 66%.

5:22 p.m. North Dakota and South Dakota have been called for Trump.

5:19 p.m. In the electoral vote race, Trump currently has 177 and Harris has 99. The winner needs 270. Western states of California, Oregon, and Washington will change this when polls close in the West.

5:15 p.m. Trump is declared winner in Wyoming by AP. NewsMax has declared Trump the winner in Texas and Ohio.

5:14 p.m. Kelly Armstrong, Republican, has won the governor’s race in North Dakota.

5:05 p.m. North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, a Democrat, has won the race for governor, keeping North Carolina in Democrat control. Mark Robinson, the Republican, lost.

5:01 p.m. Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker has won reelection to continue serving Mississippi, defeating Democrat attorney Ty Pinkins. Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn defeated Democrat Gloria Johnson to win reelection for Tennessee.

4:57 p.m. Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Banks is projected to win Indiana’s open seat in the U.S. Senate.

4:50 p.m. Florida voters rejected the abortion liberalization amendment.

4:44 p.m. Harris has won Illinois, Delaware, and New Jersey.

4:40 p.m. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Republican, won the Mountain State’s governor’s race with nearly 62% of the vote.

4:37 p.m. Trump has won Arkansas.

4:27 p.m. NewsMax has called Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma for Trump and Maryland for Harris.

4:25 p.m. Trump has won Florida. With over 95% of votes counted already, it’s Trump with over 56% and Harris with 42.6%. Trump is the first Republican to carry Miami-Dade County since 1988. Much of the credit is being given to Gov. Ron DeSantis, for helping to shore up support. Trump is projected to get one million more votes in Florida than Barack Obama got when he won the state in 2008, according to Kellyanne Conway on Fox News.

4:17 p.m. Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Braun won the gubernatorial race in Indiana, defeating Democrat Jennifer McCormick. 

4:05 p.m. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was reelected in Florida, defeating Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell.

4:03 p.m. U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, Republican, has won reelection in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District.

3:55 p.m. Jim Justice, Republican governor of West Virginia, has won election to the U.S. Senate, which will help shift control of the the Senate to the Republicans. This is a flip to Republicans, replacing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s biggest allies.

3:45 p.m. Kentucky, West Virginia, and Indiana have been called for Donald Trump. Kamala Harris has won Vermont.

One election result known already: Anchorage Daily News reporters vote to unionize

Kyle Hopkins, a reporter for the Anchorage Daily News, broke the news on X: The newsroom at the Anchorage Daily News has voted to unionize.

“@nlrbgov counted our ballots today via Zoom after receiving a few mail-in ballots. This makes the ADN the only unionized newsroom in Alaska. Thank you for your support!” Hopkins wrote. He did not reveal what the vote tally was.

Troopers shut down Parks Highway due to active shooter search, urge people to lock doors in area

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The Alaska State Troopers and Wasilla Police Department are actively searching for a person they believe is armed and dangerous in the area of Millers Reach Road and Parks Highway in the Houston area. Residents are encouraged to lock their doors, stay inside, and contact the Alaska State Troopers if they notice anything suspicious at (907) 352-5401. 

The Parks Highway is closed in both directions between West King Arthur Drive and West Cheri Lake Drive. The length of the closure is unknown at this time. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.