Trump demands the exclusion of Democratic candidates from the midterm elections in Alaska
Amman2 min read
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US President Donald Trump demanded on Wednesday the exclusion of the Democratic candidate for the Senate in Alaska, Mary Peltola, and another Democratic candidate who bears the same name as the Republican candidate, from next week's midterm elections, accusing Democrats of orchestrating an illegal conspiracy to mislead voters.
His call came following an investigation published by The New York Times about Democratic activists recruiting so-called "spoiler candidates," including a person who bears the same name as Republican candidate Dan Sullivan, with the aim of drawing votes away from him and facilitating the victory of the Democrat Peltola.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, "It just came out that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for and recruited a man named Dan Sullivan."
Trump demanded that the real Sullivan be allowed to run in the election without Peltola or the "fake Dan Sullivan" on the ballots.
Trump later stated that Peltola and any other accomplices should be prosecuted, adding, "To me, this is election fraud at the highest level."
However, The New York Times noted that recruiting candidates for the purpose of splitting an opponent's votes, a practice known as "ballot stuffing," is generally legal and has been used by both parties in Alaska.
Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a remote fishing community in Alaska, said that he entered the race of his own volition and was not recruited.
The newspaper identified Democratic activist Jarett Kurtz as a key figure, noting that he traveled across Alaska under a pseudonym to court potential candidates.
Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied recruiting any candidates.
This information comes days after Trump ordered the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit against the state of Alaska over the presence of the second Sullivan's name on the ballots.
The lawsuit seeks to delay the certification of results if Peltola wins by a narrow margin over the Republican candidate, because in that case, the votes cast for a non-serious candidate bearing the same name could change the outcome.
In June, the Alaska Supreme Court upheld the retired teacher's right to run, rejecting Republican efforts to remove him from the ballots.
