Peltola Denies Knowledge of 'Spoiler' Candidate Effort

Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola stated Thursday that she had no knowledge of any effort to recruit a candidate with the same name as the Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, to appear on the ballot.

Peltola said at a rally in Juneau, Alaska, "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."

She added, "I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan."

Peltola's comments come after a New York Times report alleging her campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee played a role in recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan, a Republican with a similar name, as a potential spoiler candidate.

At a separate campaign event, Peltola described the report as "just another distraction" and "another diversion."

Her campaign previously told ABC News that it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."

Alaska courts have reviewed the dispute over Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy and found no illegality in his bid for the ballot, despite arguments from the Trump administration and Republicans that the effort was not in good faith and was intended to confuse voters. On the general election ballot, Sen. Sullivan is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican and the incumbent. The other candidate is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and has no party affiliation.

President Donald Trump, who has accused Peltola of election fraud, commented on the ballot, suggesting voters would need a high IQ to understand it. He noted that many people might not understand the term "incumbent."

Peltola won the primary election with 48% of the vote, significantly more than Daniel J. Sullivan's 2%, while Sen. Sullivan received 43%.

The Justice Department has begun issuing subpoenas as part of an ongoing criminal probe into Democrats' alleged efforts to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan. Separately, the Trump administration filed a civil lawsuit seeking an injunction against the state certifying election results in the event Sen. Sullivan narrowly loses. A federal judge is expected to rule on this matter soon.

Sen. Sullivan criticized the alleged efforts on Fox News, calling it a "secret operation to put a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot with the primary purpose, the only purpose, to trick Alaskans."