President Trump said he is concerned that incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan could lose his seat Nov. 3 because another man named Daniel J. Sullivan is also on Alaska’s Senate ballot.
The president said Republicans are seeking last-minute legal options to remove the other Daniel Sullivan from the ballot, and he blamed Democrats for the double Sullivan race.
“I am very concerned about the Dan S. Sullivan Race for the U.S. Senate in Alaska in that it is totally confusing, with the Dumocrats putting up another man, totally unrelated to Politics, named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. It’s ridiculous that the Court didn’t stop this SCAM,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday on social media.
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However, early voting in Alaska started on Monday and the state’s ballots are set.
Alaska Republicans tried to remove the second Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher, from the primary ballot, but the State Supreme Court allowed him to stay after the Division of Elections initially removed him.
Mr. Trump said the GOP senator is leading in his contest against Democrat Mary Peltola, but a small percentage of voters who may be uncertain due to the confusion could cost him the race.
“Even 1, 2, or 3% could make the difference. Dan S. Sullivan is leading by a lot, but this is CHEATING in an Election, and the Judge that allowed this to happen should be ashamed of himself,” Mr. Trump wrote.
Mr. Trump added, “We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot, and holding the Democrats accountable for their Election Interference, in the pursuit of Justice and Fairness.”
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting for its general elections, where voters rank candidates in order of preference, instead of only choosing one. Ballots are counted in rounds.
If a candidate gets 50% + 1 vote in round one, they win. Candidates are eliminated until two candidates remain and the candidate with the most votes wins.
Republicans worry the senator will lose first-choice votes to Daniel J. Sullivan and that supporters of the retired teacher might not rank the incumbent at all in the state’s different election system.
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