US President Donald Trump departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, October 3, 2026. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon
President Donald Trump openly signaled his readiness Monday to “redo” a critical Senate election should Republicans lose the race on Tuesday — despite the president having no authority to do so.
That race is the closely watched Senate contest in Alaska, where Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) faces former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK). Recent polls have shown Sullivan at a statistical tie with Peltola, despite Trump having won the state in 2024 by more than 13 points.
The Alaska Senate race has drawn outsize attention as the Trump administration sued to block the state from certifying election results if Sullivan loses, citing potential confusion among voters regarding a second candidate named Daniel Sullivan also appearing on the ballot. A federal judge threw out the Justice Department’s lawsuit Sunday, though the agency plans to appeal.
“Are you confident that these elections will be secure?” asked Miranda Devine, a columnist for the New York Post, in a new interview with Trump that aired Monday.
“No,” Trump bluntly responded. “When you have Alaska where they look for a guy — he even looks like Dan Sullivan — they go out and seek somebody with the name Dan Sullivan… It’s election fraud at the highest level. I’ve never seen anything like it!”
Trump alleged that Democrats, including Peltola, recruited the second Dan Sullivan in an effort to confuse voters and siphon votes from the Republican incumbent. Alaska’s ballot, however, clearly differentiates between the two Sullivans, with one listed as “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.” and the other as “Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent.”
Peltola has denied having recruited the second Dan Sullivan.
“Do you think if it’s close and that’s the one Senate race, could you redo that election?” Devine asked.
Without hesitating, Trump suggested that he might entertain the idea of redoing Alaska’s Senate election should the Republican incumbent lose.
“I’d have to ask the lawyers," he said. "But I do think it’s a criminal act."
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