Trump Demands Prosecution of Alaska Democrat Over Ballot Name Dispute

President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Peltola on Wednesday following reports that her campaign assisted in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. The president directed his Department of Justice to sue to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if Peltola wins the election on Tuesday.

“I think they should be prosecuted,” Trump said regarding Peltola and the other candidate named Dan Sullivan. He previously posted on social media that Peltola should suffer legal and political consequences for her actions. The race is one of several Senate contests this year that will determine control of the chamber.

The New York Times reported that text messages between Peltola campaign members discussed recruiting individuals with the same name as the two-term Republican. The group selected Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska. Sullivan passed the state’s August open primary and is currently one of four candidates on the ranked vote ballot.

Dan J. Sullivan has denied running at the request of Democrats, stating in June that he had no contact with Peltola’s campaign. He described the connection as zero, none, or zilch. Peltola’s campaign released a statement asserting that Mary Peltola has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. They noted that Alaskans deserve a champion to lower costs, and that threats from Washington politicians will not keep her from the fight.

During a campaign stop in Soldotna, Peltola described the media coverage as a distraction from issues such as Sen. Sullivan’s support for the war in Iran. She said the situation is a diversion designed to sell newspapers and subscriptions. Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who endorsed Sullivan, said in a statement that Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Peltola and her team.

Legal experts indicated that the recruitment report will not affect a recent lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice. That suit seeks to halt the certification of a potential Peltola victory by citing the presence of the second Dan Sullivan on the ballot. Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame, said the situation is a dirty campaign trick but is now in the hands of voters rather than litigation.

The general election takes place on Tuesday. More than 61,000 ballots had been cast in Alaska as of Tuesday, according to Associated Press data. Sen. Sullivan appears on the ballot as the Republican incumbent, while the other candidate is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation.