Trump Says Mary Peltola’s Campaign “Should Be Prosecuted” as Alaska Governor Orders Criminal Probe

Breaking

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has ordered a criminal investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola’s U.S. Senate campaign following a New York Times report that people linked to the campaign recruited candidates to draw votes away from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, including a retired teacher also named Dan Sullivan. Dunleavy said the reporting “reveals disturbing new evidence of an organized effort to manipulate Alaska’s elections.”

“Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections,” Dunleavy said. The order came a day after President Donald Trump, asked about the reporting, said, “I think they should be prosecuted.” Trump also posted that “Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done,” and called the alleged scheme “Voter Fraud at the Highest Level.”

Details & Background

According to the Times, Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz, sometimes using an assumed name, recruited candidates to split support for Sullivan, Al Jazeera reported. Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told the Times that Peltola knew about the effort but did not take part directly. Rios later tried to withdraw her statements, and the Times said other evidence supported its reporting. The Times noted that recruiting candidates to split an opponent’s vote, known as ballot stacking, is generally legal and has been used by both parties in Alaska. After another Democrat withdrew following Kurtz’s approach, Republican Gerald Heikes entered the race, saying he had also been encouraged to run.

A state elections official earlier ruled that the second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., filed “with a purpose to confuse or mislead,” but the Alaska Supreme Court later ruled he could run. On the ballot, the incumbent appears as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican, while Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has no party affiliation. At Trump’s direction, the Justice Department sued last week to block certification if Sullivan loses and votes for his namesake could have changed the outcome, and Alaska has asked the court to dismiss that case. Dunleavy said the Times reporting “substantially supports” the elections board’s earlier findings.

Reactions

Peltola dismissed the probe. “This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion,” she said. “This is all stuff to sell newspapers.” Her campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny recruiting candidates, and the campaign said political threats would not stop her candidacy, according to Al Jazeera. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has denied running at Democrats’ behest and says he entered the race on his own. Peltola’s campaign had not immediately responded to requests for comment on Dunleavy’s order, according to PBS.

Democrats have also attacked the administration’s federal lawsuit over the race. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., accused the Justice Department of overreach, saying, “They don’t have standing to bring this kind of a suit.” Republicans led by Dunleavy say the reporting backs up the state elections board’s earlier findings, and Trump has repeatedly pressed for consequences for those involved.

Why This Matters to You

Elections only work if voters can trust that the names on the ballot are there for honest reasons. If a campaign deliberately helped put a look-alike candidate on the ballot to confuse supporters of an opponent, it would undermine the fairness of the vote, even if the tactic turns out to be legal under state law.

The stakes go far beyond Alaska. The race uses ranked-choice voting with four candidates, and its outcome could help decide control of the U.S. Senate on Nov. 3. With a criminal probe, a federal lawsuit and the president weighing in, the question of whether Alaskans got a fair choice could hang over the result long after the votes are counted.