2020 United States Senate election in Alaska facts for kids
An election took place on November 3, 2020, in Alaska to choose a Senator for the state. A Senator is a person who represents their state in the U.S. government in Washington, D.C. They help make laws for the whole country.
The main people running in this election were Dan Sullivan from the Republican Party and Al Gross, who ran as an independent candidate. John Wayne Howe from the Alaskan Independence Party was also on the ballot. In the end, Dan Sullivan won the election and continued to be Alaska's Senator.
Before the main election, there were special elections called primary elections on August 18, 2020. These primaries help political parties choose which person will represent them in the main election.
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State house district results
Sullivan: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Gross: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% |
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Contents
Choosing Candidates: The Primary Elections
Primary elections are like tryouts for candidates. Each political party holds its own primary to decide who will be their official candidate for the main election.
Republican Party Primary
In the Republican primary, Senator Dan Sullivan was the only person running. This meant he automatically became the Republican candidate for the main election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dan Sullivan (incumbent) | 65,257 | 100.00% | |
| Total votes | 65,257 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic, Libertarian, and Independence Party Primary
The Democratic, Libertarian, and Alaskan Independence parties held a combined primary election. This allowed voters to choose from different candidates who were not Republicans.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Al Gross | 50,047 | 79.87% | |
| Democratic | Edgar Blatchford | 5,463 | 8.72% | |
| Independence | John Howe | 4,165 | 6.65% | |
| Independent | Christopher Cumings | 2,989 | 4.77% | |
| Total votes | 62,664 | 100.00% | ||
Al Gross, an independent candidate, received the most votes in this primary. This meant he would be the main challenger to Dan Sullivan in the general election.
Final Election Results
On November 3, 2020, people in Alaska cast their votes for who they wanted to be their Senator. Here's how the votes turned out:
| United States Senate election in Alaska, 2020 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
| Republican | Dan Sullivan (incumbent) | 191,112 | 53.90% | +5.94% | |
| Independent | Al Gross | 146,068 | 41.19% | -4.64% | |
| Independence | John Howe | 16,806 | 4.74% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 601 | 0.17% | -0.32% | ||
| Total votes | 354,587 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
Dan Sullivan won the election with more than half of the votes. This meant he would continue to serve as Alaska's Senator in the U.S. Senate.
See also
In Spanish: Elección al Senado de los Estados Unidos en Alaska de 2020 para niños
