Sullivan prepares to take Senate seat while Begich campaign remains hopeful
Challenger Dan Sullivan declared victory Wednesday in his campaign to oust incumbent U.S. Sen. Mark Begich, and he flew to Washington, D.C., to help select leaders of the new Republican-controlled Senate.
Sullivan, a Republican, made the declaration after maintaining a significant lead over Begich with the counting of some 17,000 ballots on Tuesday, and The Associated Press called the race in his favor. Begich, a Democrat, on Wednesday refused to concede. His campaign stressed that tens of thousands of votes remain to be counted, with ballots in key areas that traditionally trend Democratic relatively undercounted so far.