Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) campaigns in the village of Napaskiak. Photo from Facebook

Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) refused to concede his re-election campaign as results continued to pour in from Tuesday's hotly contested race.

With nearly all precincts reporting, Begich trails Republican Dan Sullivan by less than four percentage points. But the incumbent said he wanted to wait until all returns -- including those from Native villages -- were counted before making a statement.

Begich campaigned heavily for the Native vote. He earned an endorsement from the Alaska Federation of Natives and Native leaders said he would support them on land-into-trust, sovereignty and subsistence issues.

A victory for Sullivan wouldn't necessarily harm the Alaska Native agenda. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has remained a consistent supporter of tribal issues.

But with the Senate in the hands of Republicans, Sullivan's presence on Capitol Hill could derail efforts to recognize tribal jurisdiction in domestic violence cases . When he was attorney general for the state, Sullivan repeatedly challenged the ability of tribes to exercise authority in their own courts.

Get the Story:
Sullivan lead holds in Alaska U.S. Senate race; Begich won't concede (The Alaska Dispatch News 11/5)
Sullivan leads Begich in Alaska's Senate race (The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner 11/5)

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