Peltola Denies Knowledge of Second Dan Sullivan on Alaska Ballot
The Democratic candidate claims she knew nothing of the spoiler effort, even as the Justice Department issues new subpoenas in the criminal probe.
By Leila Reynolds ·
Mary Peltola stated on Thursday that she had no knowledge of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska Senate ballot. The Democratic nominee made the comments during a rally in Juneau, speaking just days before the midterm elections. "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.
Her remarks follow a New York Times report published Wednesday. The article alleged that Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recruited Dan J. Sullivan. He is a Republican with a similar name to the incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan. The reported goal was to create confusion on the ballot to benefit Peltola's campaign.
At a separate event on Thursday, Peltola dismissed the New York Times story 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 video. She added, "I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan."
Elisa Rios, a former Peltola staffer, told the New York Times that Peltola was not directly involved in the recruitment effort. However, Rios said Peltola was "definitely aware." The Peltola campaign told ABC News earlier this week that it has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. ABC News requested clarification from the campaign on Thursday.
The Justice Department began issuing a new wave of subpoenas related to a criminal probe of the alleged recruitment effort, according to multiple sources. The Trump administration also filed a civil lawsuit last week. The suit seeks an injunction against certifying election results if Sen. Sullivan loses by a narrow margin. A federal judge is expected to rule on that motion in the coming days.
President Donald Trump commented on the dispute on Friday morning. He called into a radio show in Kansas City and said Alaskans would need a 190 IQ to understand the ballot. "They put a ballot down where they're talking about incumbent Republican and the other one. Most people don't know in Alaska, in a lot of other states too, what does incumbent mean? They don't know what incumbent means," Trump said.
Alaska courts reviewed the dispute over Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy. They found nothing illegal about his bid to appear on the ballot. The courts made this determination even though the Trump administration and Republicans argued the effort was an attempt to confuse and mislead voters without being in good faith.
The general election ballot lists Sen. Sullivan as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican incumbent. The other candidate appears as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation. Peltola won the primary with 48% of the vote. Sen. Sullivan received 43%. Dan J. Sullivan received 2% of the vote in that primary.
