Donald Trump has accused Democrat Mary Peltola of election fraud and said she “shouldn’t be allowed to run” in next week’s Alaska Senate race, after allegations that people aligned with her campaign helped recruit a candidate sharing Republican senator Dan Sullivan’s name.
Mr Trump said the alleged effort was a “terrible scheme” and wrote on Truth Social: “I don’t think Mary Peltola, after perpetrating such a terrible scheme, should be allowed to run, because this is ELECTION FRAUD.” He added: “The Democrats cheated!”
Ms Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have denied any involvement in getting the second Sullivan on the ballot.
Alaska’s non-partisan primary left four candidates in the closely watched contest, including Ms Peltola, Senator Sullivan and retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. The ballot allows voters to rank candidates and distinguishes the incumbent as a Republican and sitting senator, while Mr Sullivan Jr is listed without a party affiliation.
A report published on Wednesday said a Democratic operative who had worked with Ms Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats helped encourage Mr Sullivan Jr to enter the race. The report, based on text messages and interviews, said the move appeared to form part of a broader effort to attract more candidates.
Senator Sullivan has described his same-name challenger as a “sham candidate” attempting to confuse voters. Mr Sullivan Jr has rejected that allegation and said he is genuinely interested in seeking a Senate seat.
Alaska officials initially tried to exclude him from the ballot, arguing that his candidacy was not being pursued in good faith and could confuse voters. The Alaska Supreme Court overturned that decision, allowing him to stand.
Last week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent the election from being certified if Senator Sullivan loses because of alleged voter confusion involving the two candidates. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case as an effort to “put guardrails in place”, while Mr Trump said: “Well, I’m the one that said, ‘Do it.’”
Nate Adams, a spokesman for Senator Sullivan’s campaign, said Alaskans “deserve the truth” and accused Ms Peltola and her campaign of denying a scheme they had been running.
Mr Trump later called the matter “voter fraud at the highest level” and said: “It’s terrible what’s happened in Alaska. They created a fake candidate.”
A spokesman for Ms Peltola’s campaign said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign”. The campaign said she had entered the race because Alaskans deserved a champion focused on lowering costs and putting Alaska first, adding that “no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight”.
The DSCC also said it was not involved with Dan J. Sullivan. The organisation responded by accusing Republicans of having a history of recruiting and supporting candidates to bolster their own campaigns.
