Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Home Blog Page 343

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

9

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.

Election Day weather around Alaska

3

Weather in Western Alaska was tough sledding on Election Day, as a massive storm covered much of the lower coast, impacting communities from Dutch Harbor all the way to Bethel.

There are gale-force winds in Dillingham on Tuesday morning, with heavy rain on top of icy roads. Winds are at 26 mph.

In Bethel, there’s been a blizzard warning since Monday night, and winds are at 30 mph.

Ketchikan, in southern Southeast Alaska, is expecting two inches of rain.

The Department of Justice has sent officials to Western Alaska to monitor the elections. They are experiencing a fall gale and blizzard that may impact voter turnout, as blowing snow, ice, and rain whip the rural communities along the coast.

Breaking: Alaska Election Division website down on Election Day morning … and now working again

The Division of Elections website was dysfunctional on Election Day morning. Visitors were given a message that “The Elections Website is Temporary Unavailable. We apologize for the delay. The Elections website will be available shortly.”

Update: The Division of Elections website is working again as of 9:45 a.m.

Voters can find their precinct and voting locations by using this tool:

https://akelections.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=579890d66c7e40ae9f7cc227d76669b1

If that tool is too confusing, try this: https://myvoterportal.alaska.gov to look up your precinct.

The Division of Elections offered no explanation for why the website was not working. It was down, as of 9 a.m., for at least one hour. Across Southcentral, there have been high winds.

Update: Around 9 a.m. the message on the website said the reason for the dysfunction was due to high traffic volume.

People in line at voting locations, where lines are long, are saying they are having to cast “questioned ballots,” since the website is not working. If you are voting at your local precinct, you should not have to cast a questioned ballot.

This story will be updated.

Fairbanks dumpster fire: Police respond after Democrats light fire to wagon, causing traffic hazard

For several days, House candidate Ruben McNeil and State Senate candidate Mike Cronk have been waving campaign signs at the corner of Johansen and Geist Road in Fairbanks with a group of supporters.

On Monday, Democrats, led by Senate candidate Savannah Fletcher and House Rep. Ashley Carrick, showed up with their group of sign-wavers. They brought a small wagon in which they had lit and were tending a blazing fire. They had it placed perilously close to cars in the turn lane, endangering everyone in the vicinity.

Law enforcement responded to get the group to move the burning material onto the sidewalk. Meanwhile, the Democrats allowed their unleashed dogs to dart in and out of traffic around the intersection.

Footage of police intervening with Democrat sign-wavers after they created a traffic hazard.

One Democrat sign-waver, trying to muscle into the prime spot, smacked one of the McNeil sign holders on the head with a sign, and the group purposefully tried to push the McNeil and Cronk supporters from their spots.

Through it all, Fletcher’s baby was crying and wriggling in the arms of its father. Savannah kept telling her husband, “No, not now.” 

Tuesday is Election Day in America, and Americans will be making a choice about their future.

Peltola snubs Bethel, votes with Anchorage friends

Rep. Mary Peltola didn’t return to her hometown of Bethel to vote in the general election. Instead, she was in line at Anchorage City Hall, with news cameras trained on her and her new downtown liberal friends on Monday, one day before the election ends.

Peltola gets her absentee ballots mailed to her at her Prominence Pointe address in a dressy neighborhood of south Anchorage. She ordered her primary absentee ballot for that address, but instead voted early. And she ordered her general election absentee ballot for that address. But it appears she voted early in person again.

She and Mayor Suzanne LaFrance were in the line at City Hall, shaking hands and taking selfies with voters. There was not an American flag pin or hat anywhere to be seen.

Nick Begich, who is challenging Peltola for the one Alaska seat in Congress, voted at the Division of Elections office on Gambell Street on Monday.

Video: Democrats say Trump is as ‘bad as Hitler’

26

JayWalk Media’s Matt Miller asked protesters at Madison Square Garden in New York City if Donald Trump is really as bad as Hitler, who killed six million Jews (as well as thousands of Roma gypsies, and homosexuals.)

The protesters said, yes, Trump is actually as bad as Hitler.

Watch the interviews here: