Trump declares Alaska Senate win as ongoing counts and ranked-choice rules continue

UPDATE - follow-up to More races called as Democratic majority comes into focus: President Trump stated on Saturday that Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has won the Alaska Senate race, even though roughly seventy-four percent of the votes have been counted and the process is still underway.

Alaska Vote Count

Mr. Trump pointed out on Truth Social that Senator Sullivan leads substantially, noting that when adding votes for another candidate named Daniel and for Gerald Heikes, the incumbent is ahead by thousands of votes. Democrat Mary Peltola leads the senator by over six hundred votes, which remains below the fifty percent requirement. Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system where voters rank candidates by preference. If no candidate wins an outright majority after all votes are counted, a second round begins where the lowest candidate is dropped and their votes go to second choices until a majority emerges. Mr. Trump also criticized confusion over another candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.

Texas Senate Visit

In Texas, newly elected Senator James Talarico visited the memorial of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston on Saturday to place an "I voted" sticker. Salgado Araujo, a construction worker and father, was shot and killed in July by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Magnolia Park. The visit marks Talarico's first public appearance since election night, when he defeated Republican Ken Paxton to flip the seat for Democrats for the first time since 1988.

Justice Department Inquiry

President Trump announced Saturday that he is ordering the Department of Justice to look into alleged threats by Democrats to impeach senior Republican figures and punish GOP donors, calling the actions extortion and lawfare. The president's post follows plans laid out by Democrats to investigate the administration, including family business dealings, corporate corruption, the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Representative Robert Garcia, set to chair the House Oversight Committee, singled out Stephen Miller, Corey Lewandowski, Kristi Noem, and Trump family members as targets.

Recent Congressional Wins

Meanwhile, CBS News projected that Republican Representative Mike Kennedy won reelection in Utah's fourth congressional district, defeating Jonny Larsen, Steven Burt, and Taylor Wright. In California's fourteenth district, Democratic Representative Aisha Wahab won reelection against Melissa Hernandez in a rematch of an August special election. The seat was previously held by Eric Swalwell, who resigned in April amid sexual misconduct allegations that he denies. Wahab is the first Afghan American elected to Congress.

Administration Changes

President Trump also announced that Stephen Miller will replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, following hints of team changes after Republican losses in both chambers of Congress. Speaking to CBS News' 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, the president said he expects to make a few changes to his team. Regarding the lame-duck session before Democrats take control, Mr. Trump told reporters that the Senate has to act.

Context

Ranked-choice voting systems are designed to ensure winning candidates secure a broad majority of voter preferences rather than a simple plurality in crowded fields. Midterm elections and post-election lame-duck legislative sessions frequently involve high-stakes political negotiations and staffing adjustments as incoming majorities prepare to assume control of congressional committees.