Peltola Denies Knowing About Rival Dan J. Sullivan Campaign
The Alaska Democratic nominee says she was unaware of the effort to recruit a Republican with a similar name to the incumbent senator.
By Jack Weber ·
Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for the Alaska Senate seat, stated on Thursday that she had no knowledge of a rival candidate sharing a name with the Republican incumbent.
Peltola spoke at a rally in Juneau to address questions about a New York Times report published Wednesday. The report alleged that her campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan. He is a Republican seeking the same seat as Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Peltola told reporters, “I just want to clear the air. I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about.”
The candidate added that she was not trying to confuse the electorate. “I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan,” she said. In a separate video shared on social media, Peltola described the media coverage as a distraction. She called it “another diversion” and noted that every day brings new moments designed to shift attention.
Former Peltola staffer Elisa Rios provided the initial details to the New York Times. Rios said Peltola was not directly involved in the recruitment but was “definitely aware.” The Peltola campaign told ABC News earlier this week that it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. ABC News contacted Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign for comment but had not received a response as of Thursday.
Alaska courts reviewed the legal dispute over Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy. The courts found nothing illegal about his bid for ballot placement. They ruled this way even though the Trump administration and Republican officials argued the move was an attempt to confuse voters. The general election ballot lists the incumbent as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican, and notes his status as incumbent. The other candidate appears as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation listed.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation on Friday morning. He called into a radio show in Kansas City to discuss the ballot. Trump argued that Alaskans would need a “190 IQ” to distinguish between the two candidates. He said most people do not know what the word incumbent means. The Justice Department has begun issuing new subpoenas as part of a criminal probe into the alleged recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan. The administration also filed a civil lawsuit last week seeking to stop the state from certifying results if Sen. Sullivan loses by a small margin.
Sen. Dan S. Sullivan criticized the Democrats on Fox News on Thursday. He claimed the campaign ran a “secret operation to put a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot with the primary purpose, the only purpose, to trick Alaskans.” In the primary election, Peltola won 48% of the vote. Dan J. Sullivan received 2%, and Sen. Sullivan earned 43%.
