President Trump on Wednesday demanded that Democrat Mary Peltola be removed from Alaska’s ballot after a report that her allies recruited a man named Dan Sullivan to run in the state’s Senate race against her and incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Calling the candidate a “fake” Dan Sullivan, Mr. Trump accused Democrats of trying to confuse voters and siphon support away from the state’s Republican senator who is seeking a third term.
“It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the election,” Mr. Trump wrote on Truth Social.
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Mr. Trump’s comments came after The New York Times reported that Democratic operatives aligned with Ms. Peltola spent months recruiting candidates to enter the race and siphon support from Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, including another man named Dan J. Sullivan.
The report injected fresh controversy into one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races and handed Republicans a new line of attack against Ms. Peltola as the campaign enters its final days.
Mr. Trump also accused Democrats involved in the effort of making false statements in federal court.
“Therefore, they perjured themselves, and should be liable for very serious consequences,” he said. “Mary Peltola should suffer the legal and political consequences for what she has done, a fraud on the American public, and [Sen.] Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot.”
The allegations stem from court proceedings surrounding ballot access in Alaska and have raised questions about how far political operatives can go in trying to shape the field of candidates in a closely contested election.
The Peltola campaign denied any wrongdoing.
“The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” the campaign said. “Like Mary, our campaign is focused on lowering costs and fixing the rigged system in DC.”
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