Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan asserted on Sunday that his Democratic opponent, Mary Peltola, is "still lying" about her campaign's involvement in a controversial ballot scheme during their Alaska Senate race. Sullivan's comments came in response to a recent report detailing how a man with the same last name as the senator was recruited by operatives linked to Peltola's campaign, a move critics allege was intended to confuse voters.
Sullivan expressed skepticism about Peltola's repeated claims of having no knowledge of the recruitment efforts. "There is no way this went on for a year that they weren’t informing her," Sullivan stated on CNN's "State of the Union." "She got caught lying, and she’s still lying to the Alaskan people, the media, to all of us."
Peltola, a former congresswoman, has maintained that she was unaware of the recruitment of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who is running as a non-affiliated candidate while the incumbent senator is Dan S. Sullivan, a Republican. Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have also denied any involvement.
Republicans have long suspected the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot was a deliberate tactic. Their suspicions were reportedly bolstered by a New York Times report that cited interviews with Peltola's former campaign manager, text messages, and campaign finance records indicating that a group supporting Peltola paid an operative involved in recruiting decoy candidates. The Times reported that the operative was paid by the Alaska Democratic Party.
During a rally Friday, Peltola was asked if any of her campaign staff might have been involved in recruiting the other candidate. "I have no idea," she told KTUU. "I honestly have no idea."
Federal Investigation and Political Fallout
Following the Times report, former President Donald Trump called for Peltola's prosecution and directed his Department of Justice to file a lawsuit to prevent the certification of a potential Peltola victory. Federal agents have reportedly issued subpoenas in connection with the case, though the report noted that Republican campaigns have also historically used decoy candidates.
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who leads a Republican group focused on Senate races, suggested that criminal charges could be appropriate. "We know that it is criminal for candidates to work in collusion with other parties to confuse voters," Scott said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation and indicated he might not certify a potential Peltola win. The governor has also suggested that prosecution could be warranted.
Some Democrats have downplayed the controversy. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., acknowledged that candidates with similar names appearing on ballots is not uncommon, though he stated he would not endorse such a strategy. "It's stupid politics," Raskin said on NBC. "Nobody would do that, and Mary Peltola has said she had nothing to do with it."
Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont, echoed similar sentiments on CBS' "Face the Nation." "What the Democrats did in Alaska seems to me to be pretty dumb," Sanders said. "It’s not illegal. It’s what happens in every election."
Sullivan, a former Alaska attorney general, stated he would leave the determination of any potential crimes to legal professionals. However, he predicted the presence of the second Sullivan would impact the election outcome. "I’m sure I’m going to lose a lot of votes to that trickery," Sullivan said.
When asked if he would advocate for the state to refuse certification of a Peltola win, Sullivan initially demurred before stating, "I'm going to accept the results of the election."