Alaska Ballot Dispute: Peltola Denies Knowledge of Second Dan Sullivan

Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for Alaska’s Senate seat, stated on Thursday that she had no knowledge of a second candidate sharing the name of the incumbent Republican, Sen. Dan Sullivan. Speaking at a rally in Juneau, Peltola addressed the confusion surrounding the midterm ballot directly.

“I just want to clear the air. I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about,” Peltola said, according to an Associated Press video of the event. She added that she is not interested in tricking voters and believes she can defeat the incumbent.

Peltola’s remarks followed a report by The New York Times published Wednesday. The report alleged that Peltola’s campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican, to run against the incumbent. The goal, according to the report, was to sow confusion among voters. Peltola’s campaign previously told ABC News that it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign, while former staffer Elisa Rios told The Times that Peltola was “definitely aware” of the effort.

The dispute has become a central issue in the race just days before voters head to the polls. Alaska courts reviewed the candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan and found nothing illegal about his bid to appear on the ballot. This ruling held even though the Trump administration and Republican officials argued the move was an attempt to confuse and mislead voters rather than a sincere campaign.

The ballot lists the incumbent as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican, with a note identifying him as the incumbent. The challenger is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. President Donald Trump, who has accused Peltola of election fraud, claimed on a radio show that Alaskans would need a 190 IQ to distinguish between the two names. He argued that many voters do not understand the meaning of the term incumbent.

Sen. Sullivan criticized the alleged recruitment effort on Fox News on Thursday. He described it as a secret operation designed to put a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot to trick Alaskans. The Justice Department has begun issuing subpoenas in a criminal probe into the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan. Additionally, the administration filed a civil lawsuit seeking to stop the state from certifying the election results if the incumbent loses narrowly. A federal judge is expected to rule on that injunction in the coming days.

In the primary election, Peltola won with 48% of the vote. Sen. Sullivan received 43%. Dan J. Sullivan garnered 2% of the total. Peltola characterized the media attention on the name dispute as a distraction from the main race. She maintained that her focus remains on defeating the incumbent in the general election.