Trump calls for prosecution of Democratic Alaska Senate candidate over spoiler ... - Live 5 News

President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola on Wednesday following reports that her campaign was involved in recruiting a candidate who shares a name with the Republican incumbent, Dan Sullivan.

The Alaska Senate contest stands as one of a handful of races nationwide expected to determine control of the chamber in next Tuesday’s general election. Trump had previously directed the U.S. Department of Justice to file a lawsuit blocking certification of the race should Peltola defeat the two-term Republican incumbent.

“I think they should be prosecuted,” Trump said in response to questions about a report published by The New York Times. He earlier posted on social media that Peltola should face legal and political consequences.

Appearing on Fox News on Wednesday night, Senator Dan Sullivan pressed his Democratic opponent to address the allegations directly. He stated that he would ask Alaskans to look Peltola in the eye and ask whether she cheated, adding that she would not answer the question.

Text Messages and the Ranked-Vote Ballot

The New York Times report cited text messages between members of Peltola’s campaign discussing the recruitment of individuals who shared the incumbent senator’s name. Campaign staffers ultimately connected with a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg named Dan J. Sullivan.

Trump administration files lawsuit to block possible Democratic win in Alaska Senate race https://t.co/LMCeDkt3XY

— https://x.com/NYDailyNews/status/2113673593758290355

That candidate successfully navigated the state’s August open primary and is one of four contenders listed on the ranked-vote ballot for the November 3 general election. Listed on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation, the second candidate has consistently denied running at the behest of Democrats, maintaining in June that he had zero contact with Peltola’s campaign.

Dan J. Sullivan did not respond to a message seeking comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Earlier this year, a top state elections official ruled Dan J. Sullivan ineligible for the primary ballot, concluding that his declaration was filed with the purpose of confusing or misleading voters and compromising fairness. The case reached the Alaska Supreme Court, which ultimately ruled that he was qualified to run.

Campaign Pushback and Legal Realities

Peltola dismissed the report during a campaign stop in Soldotna, characterizing the story as a distraction from policy issues such as Senator Sullivan’s support of the war in Iran.

“This is just another distraction, it’s another diversion,” Peltola said in a video posted online. Her campaign released a formal statement asserting that Mary Peltola entered the race to lower costs and put Alaska first, and that no tweet or DC politician’s threat would deter her.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also denied involvement in the candidate recruitment. However, The New York Times report noted that DSCC staffers participated in text exchanges with the Peltola campaign regarding the second Sullivan.

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Legal experts suggest the controversy will have no direct bearing on the active federal lawsuit. Derek Muller, a Notre Dame law professor, noted that while the situation involves a dirty campaign trick that justified efforts to remove the candidate from the ballot, the matter now rests entirely with the voters.

Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who endorsed Senator Sullivan and maintains a personal friendship with Peltola, stated that Alaskans deserve the honest truth.

More than 61,000 ballots had already been cast in Alaska through Tuesday, according to AP data. The outcome will be decided when ranked-choice voting concludes on November 3.