Peltola claims no knowledge of rival 'Sullivan' on Alaska ballot
The Democratic candidate disputes reports that her team recruited a lookalike challenger to confuse voters ahead of the midterm election.
By Olivia Miller ·
Mary Peltola stated Thursday that she was unaware of any effort to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska Senate ballot. The Democratic nominee made the remarks in Juneau, directly contradicting recent claims that her campaign orchestrated a recruitment drive for a spoiler candidate.
"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 in a video released by the Associated Press. She added, "I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan."
The comments follow a Wednesday report by The New York Times. The publication alleged that Peltola's team and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican, to join the race. The goal was reportedly to sow confusion among voters. Elisa Rios, a former Peltola staffer, told the newspaper that Peltola was "definitely aware" of the effort, even if she was not directly involved.
Peltola's campaign previously told ABC News it had "no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." At a separate event on Thursday, Peltola dismissed the media coverage as a distraction. "It's another diversion. Every day, it's some new, you know, 'look over here' moment," she said in a social media clip verified by ABC News.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the dispute Friday morning on KMCO radio. He claimed Alaskans would need a "190 IQ" to understand the ballot. The president argued that many voters do not understand the term "incumbent." He has publicly asserted that Peltola committed "election fraud." Trump said, "You need about 190 IQ to figure out the ballot. They put a ballot down where they're talking about incumbent Republican and the other one."
Alaska courts reviewed the candidacy of Dan J. Sullivan and found nothing illegal about his bid. The judges ruled this was true even if the effort was not in "good faith" or was an attempt to "confuse and mislead," as Republicans and the Trump administration contend. On the general election ballot, the incumbent is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican. The challenger is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation.
The vote share in the primary suggests the spoiler candidate had limited impact. Peltola won 48% of the vote. The incumbent, Dan Sullivan, received 43%. Dan J. Sullivan earned 2%. The Justice Department has begun issuing subpoenas related to a criminal probe of the recruitment effort. The administration also filed a civil lawsuit last week seeking to stop the state from certifying the results if the incumbent narrowly loses. A federal judge is expected to rule on that matter in the coming days.
Senator Sullivan criticized the alleged strategy on Fox News on Thursday. He described it as a "secret operation to put a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot with the primary purpose, the only purpose, to trick Alaskans." The race will be decided in the midterm elections later this month.
