Trump Calls for Peltola Prosecution After Report on Alaska Ballot Rival
Trump called for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be prosecuted after a report linked campaign aides to recruiting a second Dan Sullivan for Alaska’s ballot; no criminal charge has been announced.
President Donald Trump called Wednesday, October 28, for Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be prosecuted after a New York Times report said members of her campaign discussed recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan. Trump did not identify a criminal statute, and no charge or judicial finding against Peltola has been announced.
The dispute centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who shares a name with Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and is appearing on Alaska’s November 3 ranked-choice ballot. The new report and Trump’s demand add a material development to a controversy already tied to a Justice Department lawsuit over certification of the Senate result.
Trump urges criminal action
Asked about the report, Trump said, “I think they should be prosecuted,” according to Associated Press reporting published by PBS NewsHour. He also wrote on social media that Peltola should face legal and political consequences and called for her to leave the race.
The president’s statement is a demand for prosecution, not an announcement that investigators have found probable cause or that prosecutors have opened a criminal case. NBC News independently reported the call for charges and said legal experts were assessing the account of Democrats seeking candidates with the incumbent senator’s name.
Report describes campaign discussions
The Times obtained text messages in which Peltola campaign members discussed recruiting people named Dan Sullivan, AP reported. The eventual candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. of Petersburg, advanced through Alaska’s open primary and became one of four candidates on the general-election ballot.
Daniel Sullivan has repeatedly denied running at Democrats’ request and has said he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. He did not respond to an AP request for comment Wednesday. Peltola’s campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and accused political opponents of trying to distract from her economic message.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also denied involvement. AP reported that the Times had messages showing committee staff in discussions with Peltola campaign personnel, while the original account relied partly on interviews with former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios. Those reports raise questions about campaign conduct, but they do not by themselves establish a crime.
Ballot dispute reached Alaska’s courts
An Alaska elections official initially found that Daniel Sullivan’s filing was intended to confuse voters and ruled him ineligible. The Alaska Supreme Court later held that he was qualified to run. The ballot identifies the senator as the Republican incumbent and lists the other candidate as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. without a party affiliation.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who supports the incumbent Sullivan and has been a friend of Peltola, said voters deserve an honest account from Peltola’s campaign. Sen. Sullivan’s campaign alleged that Democratic operatives recruited the namesake candidate to deceive voters. Peltola’s campaign denied that allegation.
Separate federal lawsuit remains pending
Trump previously said he directed the Justice Department to sue Alaska. That case seeks to delay certification if Peltola wins while Daniel Sullivan remains on the ballot. Election-law professor Derek Muller told AP that the newly reported campaign activity may be a dirty political tactic but does not strengthen the federal lawsuit, because ballot eligibility was decided by state courts and the matter is now before voters.
The prosecution demand therefore does not change the ballot or automatically alter the pending case. It does intensify presidential pressure in a close race that may help determine control of the Senate. AP data showed that 46,204 Alaska ballots had already been cast as of Monday.
Sources and image credit
- PBS NewsHour / Associated Press — Trump’s remarks, campaign responses and Alaska ballot history
- NBC News — independent report on Trump’s prosecution demand and the recruitment account
- TrumpInsight — earlier coverage of Trump’s direction to file the federal certification lawsuit
- Image: Mary Peltola’s official congressional headshot on Wikimedia Commons