The Associated Press called the Alaska Senate race early Wednesday for Dan Sullivan, the Republican challenger to Democratic Sen. Mark Begich.  

The decision came in the early morning hours on the East Coast, after election workers counted about 20,000 absentee ballots. An unknown number of ballots remain, but Sullivan’s lead of some 8,100 votes was little changed after that significant chunk of votes was counted, the AP stated.  

“I am deeply humbled and honored to serve my fellow Alaskans in the United States Senate,” Sullivan said in a statement. “Our campaign was about opportunity — because I truly believe that there is nothing that is wrong with America that can’t be fixed by what’s right with Alaska.”  

The AP reported that Begich is not conceding, as thousands of ballots are uncounted.  

The victory means Republicans have picked up eight Senate seats. A win in Louisiana, which will hold a runoff on Dec. 6, would give Republicans 54 seats in the new Congress.  

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