Democratic Sen. Mark Begich conceded his re-election race on Monday to Republican Dan Sullivan, bringing a delayed conclusion to the Alaska Senate race nearly two weeks after Election Day and almost one week after the Associated Press called the race for Sullivan.
Begich, a first-term U.S. senator and former Anchorage mayor, said he spoke with Sullivan on Monday and “encouraged him to adopt a bipartisan resolve in the Senate.
“Alaska is ill-served by the partisan fights that don’t reflect our state’s unique needs and priorities,” Begich said in a statement.
Begich had held off on conceding to Sullivan in the hope that uncounted votes from the rural areas of Alaska would boost him to an unforeseen victory. During his campaign, Begich launched an unprecedented get-out-the-vote effort among the state’s native peoples, who comprise some of his most loyal supporters, opening 16 field offices around the state.
“Rural Alaska made its voice heard loud and clear in the election, and I am overwhelmed by the record levels of support I received from villages and hubs across the state,” Begich said.
But the support was not enough to boost Begich over Sullivan, a first-time candidate and former state commissioner of natural resources. The most recent tally from the Alaska Division of Elections showed Sullivan winning 48 percent of the vote to Begich’s 45 percent.
