Trump demands removal of Peltola and the “second Sullivan” from the Alaska election ballot

Trump's demands and the Justice Department lawsuit

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday demanded that Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate, and Daniel J. Sullivan — a namesake of the sitting Republican Senator Dan Sullivan — be removed from the ballot for the upcoming US Senate election in Alaska, and that both be prosecuted. According to him, the appearance of a second Sullivan is a Democratic scheme designed to confuse voters. “Mary Peltola should drop out of the race. I think she should be prosecuted for what she has done”, he told reporters on his way to a rally in Ohio. Later, on Truth Social, he called what was happening “top-level voter fraud” and accused Democrats of perjury in federal court (Anadolu, AFP).

What lies behind the conflict

Last week, the Department of Justice, at Trump's behest, filed a lawsuit against Alaska: it provides for a delayed certification of the results if Peltola defeats the sitting senator by a narrow margin and the votes cast for his namesake could have changed the outcome. The state is asking a federal judge to dismiss the suit as legally unfounded. Back in June, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the right of the retired teacher to run, rejecting Republican attempts to remove him from the ballot (AFP).

The Times investigation and the parties' positions

Trump's demands followed an investigation by The New York Times, which reported that Democratic operatives had secretly recruited “spoilers,” including the second Sullivan. According to the newspaper, senior aides and lawyers of Peltola's campaign, as well as staff of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), were involved in the project; the central figure was identified as operative Jerid Kurtz, who, it is claimed, traveled around Alaska under a false name. Daniel J. Sullivan himself — a retired teacher from a remote fishing community — said he was running of his own volition. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny recruiting candidates. Former campaign manager Elise Rios told the newspaper that Peltola “definitely knew” about the project but was not directly involved, and later tried to retract her statements. At the same time, the Times emphasized that recruiting candidates to split an opponent's vote (ballot stacking) is generally legal and has been used by both parties, and that the investigation found no criminal offense and did not substantiate Trump's claim of perjury (AFP).