Preliminary results show independents will challenge incumbent Republicans for Alaska’s U.S. Senate and U.S. House seats

In Alaska’s Nov. 3 general election, independent Alyse Galvin will challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Don Young and independent Al Gross will face incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Alaska law and Democratic Party rules allow independents to compete for the Democratic Party’s spot in Alaska’s general election, and late Tuesday, Galvin and Gross appeared almost certain to defeat their Democratic challengers.

That’s even without absentee votes, which will be tallied next week.

With 440 of 442 precincts reporting results by 3 p.m. Wednesday, Gross had 22,689 votes. His leading opponent, Democratic candidate Edgar Blatchford, had 3,009.

In the Democratic race for U.S. House, Galvin had 24,134 votes. Her leading opponent, Democratic candidate Ray Sean Tugatuk, had 3,425.

Galvin lost by seven points to Young in 2018. Gross has never run for statewide office.

In the Republican races, Young had a 28,615-vote margin over his nearest competitor, and Sullivan was unopposed.

Alaskan Independence Party member John Wayne Howe was unopposed for that party’s nomination for U.S. Senate.

Green Party candidate Jed Whitaker said in a handwritten note that he will be unable to gather the signatures needed to be listed on the ballot and instead will run as a write-in candidate for U.S. Senate.

As of Tuesday night, no third-party candidates are scheduled to appear on the ballot for U.S. House.