Trump Seeks Prosecution After 61,000 Alaska Ballots Cast in Contested Senate Race
President Donald Trump called for criminal charges against Mary Peltola following reports that her campaign recruited a challenger with the same name as incumbent Dan Sullivan.
By Madison Lewis ·
Alaska holds its general election on Tuesday, and more than 61,000 ballots had already been cast as of Tuesday according to Associated Press data. The vote will determine the fate of a Senate seat that President Donald Trump believes is critical for his party to maintain control of the chamber. Tensions in the race escalated on Wednesday after new reporting detailed internal communications regarding a candidate with the same name as the incumbent Republican.
Trump directed his Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of the race if Democrat Mary Peltola defeats Senator Dan Sullivan. On Wednesday, the President called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola and the other Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg named Dan J. Sullivan. "I think they should be prosecuted," Trump said in response to questions about a New York Times report. He previously posted on social media that Peltola should suffer the legal and political consequences of her actions.
The New York Times obtained text messages between members of Peltola's campaign discussing the recruitment of a candidate to match the incumbent's name. The campaign eventually selected Dan J. Sullivan, who made it through the state's August open primary. He appears on the ranked choice ballot for the general election as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. Senator Sullivan is listed as the Republican incumbent.
Dan J. Sullivan has denied running at the behest of Democrats, stating in June that he had no contact with Peltola's campaign. He described their interaction as "zero, none, zilch." He did not respond to a message seeking comment from the Associated Press on Wednesday. Senator Sullivan, appearing on Fox News that evening, urged Peltola to come clean. He suggested voters look her in the eye and ask if she cheated, noting that she would not answer the question.
Peltola's campaign characterized the report as a distraction from key issues, including Senator Sullivan's support for the war in Iran. "This is just another distraction, it's another diversion," Peltola said in a video posted online during a campaign stop in Soldotna. The campaign stated in a written release that Mary got into the race to lower costs for Alaskans and that no tweet or threat from a Washington politician would keep her from that fight.
The race has already faced legal hurdles. A top state elections official ruled Dan J. Sullivan ineligible for the primary ballot, concluding his candidacy was filed to confuse voters. The Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision, allowing him to run. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican Senator and longtime friend of Peltola, said Alaskans deserve the honest truth. She called the revelations a pattern of lies and a culture of deception.
Democrats have denied involvement in any campaign trick. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee stated it is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan, despite the Times report saying DSCC staffers were in texts with the Peltola campaign. Legal experts said the new report will not impact the recent Justice Department lawsuit seeking to halt certification of a Peltola win. Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame, called the recruitment a dirty trick but noted the matter is now in the hands of voters.
The New York Times report is based partly on interviews with Elisa Rios, Peltola's former campaign manager, who was fired in August. The newspaper said she tried to retract her comments last week. The Associated Press could not immediately reach Rios. In 2024, the state Supreme Court allowed a man serving time in a federal prison in New York to remain on the House ballot, a precedent that informs the current debate.
