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Votebeat’s Nathaniel Rakich doesn’t worry about President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency to cancel the 2026 midterms. Or Mike Johnson — or any other Republican — somehow not seating a new Democratic House majority.
He worries about Alaska.
Why?
Alaska is a very rural — and large — state. Meaning it takes a while to collect ballots.
The race between Democrat Mary Peltola and GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan looks to be close
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, which means it is unlikely the race will be called on November 3 or 4 — or maybe even that whole week
When you combine those factors — and consider that Alaska’s result could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate for the next two years — you begin to see the danger.
And that danger becomes even more clear when you consider a) Trump has already said many times that the only way Democrats can win is if they cheat and b) Trump is HUGELY litigious.
Here’s Nathaniel:
If Trump is that committed to it, could we be in for another two-month period of a lot of misinformation and loud rhetoric? And knock on wood, but potentially violence? I don’t know. That is, I think, a concern that is, even if, because I don’t see a legitimate path to overturning an election, but there can be bad outcomes short of that.
Yes yes yes.
What else did we cover in our Substack Live? This:
⚖️ The fight over mail ballots: Why the Trump administration is challenging voter rolls in California and Washington, and what its claims about noncitizen voting actually mean.
🚨 The curious case of the two Dan Sullivans: How two candidates named Dan Sullivan, a Justice Department lawsuit and a potentially close Senate race could collide.
📬 Mail voting and the Postal Service: What the courts have said about Trump’s proposed restrictions—and why voters should pay attention to mail delays.
🇺🇸 What happens after Election Day: Why extremely close races can take time to resolve, and which potential disputes and disruptions are actually worth worrying about.
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