Republican Wins Alaska Senate Seat

Republican Dan Sullivan has defeated Mark Begich and will become the next senator from Alaska.

Republican candidate Dan Sullivan defeated Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Begich in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race Wednesday.

The win gives the GOP eight Senate pickups in the midterm elections. The party is also seeking a ninth seat in Louisiana’s runoff in December.

Sullivan ran a confident campaign, ignoring the debate schedule Begich established and setting his own terms.

He pledged to fight federal overreach, talked about energy independence and at seemingly every opportunity, sought to tie Begich to President Barack Obama and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, who are unpopular in Alaska.

So that’s 8 pick-ups for the GOP, exceeding most expectations including my own, with a 9th possible.

Even more may be possible, though it’s somewhat unlikely. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is making noises that he won’t put up with any obstructionism from his own party. He now represents a state gone deep red. A switch could be in the cards as the frustration of being in the minority, in a party that is hostile to everything but the hard left.