President Donald Trump demanded Tuesday that more than 3,600 votes cast for a second Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s Senate race be “given” to the Republican incumbent, and branded the contest “rigged” without offering evidence. On election night, Trump told The New York Times he would not challenge the results, the Alaska Beacon reported.
The demand centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg who shares a name with Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). The Times reported last month that Democratic operatives, including aides to Democratic challenger Mary Peltola’s campaign, worked to recruit him. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement, and Sullivan Jr. has said he entered the race on his own. Gov. Mike Dunleavy has ordered a state investigation.
Republican-backed efforts to keep Sullivan Jr. off the ballot failed in state court, and the Alaska Supreme Court ruled in June that he could run. The Justice Department, at Trump’s direction, later sued to delay certification if the senator lost, but a federal judge threw out the case on Nov. 1. The department has said it will appeal.
“Dan Sullivan PLUS Dan Sullivan wins the Alaska Election by thousands of votes,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. He continued: “All votes going to the Fake Dan Sullivan, which was done solely for the purpose of fraud and confusion, should immediately be given to the Real Dan Sullivan (Senator!) - Likewise the votes of the second fraudulent candidate, also put up by the Dems. There should be no question concerning this Rigged Election. Time is of the essence!!!”
The only other candidate on the ballot is Gerald Heikes, a Republican perennial candidate from Palmer.
As of Monday’s count, Peltola led with 106,321 first-choice votes to the senator’s 103,804. Heikes had 4,865 and Sullivan Jr. had 3,651. Tens of thousands of early and absentee ballots remain uncounted, with the final count set for Nov. 18.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, meaning if no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, ballots for eliminated candidates move to the next remaining candidate the voter ranked, if any. State ballot data showed more of Sullivan Jr.’s voters ranked Peltola next than the senator, Newsweek reported.