Nicholas J. Begich III

In the 2014 Senate race for AK Senate seat, Dan Sullivan (R) won with 48.0% of the vote, defeating Mark Begich (D) who received 45.8%. 2 additional candidates split the remaining vote. The 2.1-point margin made this one of the more competitive races of the cycle.

This was an open-seat race. Open seats typically attract stronger candidates and heavier spending from both parties. As a Republican, Dan Sullivan benefited from the historical midterm penalty against the president's party — with a Democrat in the White House, the opposition typically gains seats.