Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said Sunday he would accept the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, while criticizing Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign for apparently recruiting Dan J. Sullivan to run as a spoiler.
“No, I’m going to accept the results of the election,” Sullivan said on CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if he would accept the results only if he won. President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has sued Alaska, demanding that the state not certify the election if the incumbent Republican loses.
The lawsuit cites theoretical voter confusion about the second Sullivan’s appearance on the ballot, which the DOJ says could siphon off votes from Republican incumbent Sullivan and benefit Peltola. The Alaska Senate race is considered a “toss-up” by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, and Peltola holds a slight advantage in the polling average compiled by FiftyPlusOne.
Peltola has repeatedly denied any involvement with the second Sullivan. However, the New York Times reported last week that his campaign was directly involved in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, to run as a spoiler.
Ballot stacking is generally not illegal and both parties have used it in past elections. Still, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged scheme. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld Dan J. Sullivan’s place on the ballot in a previous legal challenge.
Sullivan on CNN said the Times report shows Peltola’s campaign, as well as the Democratic Senate campaign arm, “recognizing that they couldn’t run on the basis of their record, so they had to cheat.”
“I think a lot of Alaskans, even Democrats, think she’s not fit for office; she continually lies to the people of Alaska, and I guarantee you she’s lying right now,” Sullivan said.
Peltola denied knowledge of the alleged plan to recruit a second Sullivan in an interview with KTUU on Friday.
“I honestly have no idea,” Peltola said. “It shocks me on several levels; first of all, we’re in Alaska, it’s not our goal to trap ourselves here.”
“I’ve won statewide before, on my own merits, without any tricks; I know I can win again,” she said.
The stakes of racing in Alaska are high. Democrats must flip four seats while holding all of the current Democratic seats to win a majority in the Senate. Alaska has become a great opportunity for one of these twists.
The midterm elections will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of Trump’s term in the White House.
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