Trump threatens 'powerful legal options' to keep candidate off the ballot in key state

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social late Wednesday night to express alarm over the possibility that Republicans could lose a key Senate seat in Alaska, and threatened legal action to remove a candidate from the ballot.

And he is threatening to run to the courts with less than two weeks to go before election day.

Trump wrote that he is “very concerned” about Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R-AK), who faces leading Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman, and also another Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg. Trump and others fear that having two Sullivans on the Nov. 3 ballot could hurt the incumbent if voters mistakenly vote for the wrong one.

Trump and other Republicans have accused the second Sullivan of being "a sham candidate" who is running only to siphon votes from the senator, an accusation he denies. The senator has accused Democrats of planting him. Peltola, state Democrats and the challenger deny any coordination.

In his post, Trump blamed Democrats for putting up “another man, totally unrelated to Politics, named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.” He wrote: “It’s ridiculous that the Court didn’t stop this SCAM. Even 1, 2, or 3% could make the difference. Dan S. Sullivan is leading by a lot, but this is CHEATING in an Election, and the Judge that allowed this to happen should be ashamed of himself. We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot, and holding the Democrats accountable for their Election Interference, in the pursuit of Justice and Fairness.”

Trump did not say what legal action he plans. Alaska’s Supreme Court ruled June 29 that the second Sullivan must be listed on the ballot, after the state Division of Elections had disqualified him, Raw Story reported. The court rejected the “good faith” standard the state used. The Division of Elections has said middle initials will be used on the ballot to distinguish the two.

Polls show a close race, with Peltola the narrow favorite in the four-candidate field.