Democratic Senate hopeful Mary Peltola has broken her silence following a New York Times report that accused her campaign of orchestrating an election fraud scheme. The report alleged that Peltola's campaign worked to place a decoy candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, on the ballot to draw votes away from Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
Speaking at a rally in Soldotna, Alaska, Peltola characterized the report as "just another distraction" and "stuff to sell newspapers." She questioned the motives of The New York Times, stating, "Nobody at The New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska."
The allegations have drawn sharp criticism from Republicans. Former President Donald Trump demanded that Peltola be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, branding the alleged scheme "voter fraud at the highest level." He also called for the decoy candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, to be removed from the ballot.
Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into Peltola's Senate campaign concerning the alleged plot. Investigators will examine whether the campaign should face criminal charges or civil penalties. The investigation follows news that senior advisers to Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) reportedly recruited the retiree, who shares the incumbent senator's full name, to run in the race.
Both Daniel S. Sullivan, the incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan, the decoy candidate, will appear on the ballot alongside Peltola and a fourth candidate, Gerald Heikes. A sample ballot shows the names of both individuals running under the same name.
The Justice Department had previously sued last week, at President Trump's direction, seeking to prevent the race from being certified if Senator Sullivan loses. However, the suit did not allege specific illegal acts. The department has accused Daniel J. Sullivan of attempting to mislead Alaskan voters into believing he is the incumbent senator.
Chief Judge Sharon Gleason of the U.S. District Court in Alaska has placed the case on an expedited track, giving federal lawyers a deadline to respond to a motion to dismiss. The judge also noted that the administration filed its lawsuit after Alaskans had already begun voting, months after the state's top court had ordered Daniel J. Sullivan onto the ballot.
The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have sought to join the case. On Wednesday, the administration dropped its objection, citing the Times report as evidence of a broad scheme to deceive voters with a phony candidate.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski commented that "ballot-stacking has no place in elections" and accused the campaign of lying to and covering up actions from Alaskans.