Trump calls for removal of Alaska’s Democratic Senate candidate from ballot
- 'This guy Dan Sullivan just ran against Dan Sullivan. It turned out it was a scheme by the Democrats. That's what they do best. They cheat,' president says
By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Donald Trump called Wednesday for Alaska’s Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be removed from the ballot and criminally prosecuted, alleging that Democrats had orchestrated a scheme to confuse voters by fielding a second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, whose name matches that of the incumbent senator.
Speaking to reporters as he departed for a rally in Ohio, Trump accused Peltola and the other Sullivan of participating in an effort to mislead voters about the identity of Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.
“Mary Peltola should resign from the race. I think she should be prosecuted criminally for what she did,” Trump said.
His comments came after the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit last week seeking to prevent Alaska from certifying its Senate election results under certain circumstances if Republican incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan loses.
The legal dispute centers on Dan J. Sullivan. The administration alleges that the challenger's candidacy could mislead voters and affect the outcome of the race.
Trump claimed the appearance of another candidate with the same name as the senator was part of a Democratic scheme.
“This guy Dan Sullivan just ran against Dan Sullivan. It turned out it was a scheme by the Democrats. That's what they do best. They cheat,” the president said.
He called for both Peltola and the candidate he described as the “fake Dan Sullivan” to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted.
“I think Dan Sullivan, the fake Dan Sullivan, and Mary Peltola should be, number one — they should be taken off the ballot, and number two, they should be prosecuted,” he said.
Later, in a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump repeated his allegations, accusing Democrats in Alaska of placing another Dan Sullivan on the ballot despite "their sworn statements to the contrary."
“It was just determined that the Dumocrats in Alaska, despite their sworn statements to the contrary, put a man named Dan Sullivan on the Ballot in order to confuse the Public with respect to Highly Esteemed Senator Dan Sullivan,” Trump wrote.
He characterized the alleged conduct as “Voter Fraud at the Highest Level” and again demanded that Peltola and the other Sullivan be removed from the ballot and prosecuted.
Diyar Güldoğan