Trump, Murkowski Hammer Peltola Over Alaska Ballot-stacking Report

President Donald Trump demanded Wednesday that Democrat Mary Peltola be removed from Alaska’s Senate ballot following a report linking her campaign to a secret effort to peel away votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by recruiting a candidate of the same name.

With less than a week before the midterms, the report intensified a fight over the competitive Senate race, drawing condemnation from Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and a warning from Attorney General Todd Blanche that the Justice Department could take further action.

“Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done, A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Peltola or “FAKE Dan Sullivan” on the ballot.

The president’s comments come after The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola campaign aides and officials with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee participated in a monthslong operation to recruit another Dan Sullivan and other potential spoilers to the ballot in Alaska. The effort included an operative traveling around Alaska using a fake name and discussions about creating a new political party to attract conservative candidates.

Peltola’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved with the operation but was “definitely aware.” Rios — who had been planning to file a lawsuit against the Peltola campaign — later sought to retract her statements, but the Times noted her account was consistent with its other reporting on the matter, including text messages.

Both the campaign and the DSCC denied involvement. “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race,” the campaign told the Times.

In a statement to POLITICO, the campaign affirmed Peltola's plans to stay in the race following the president's calls: "Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight."

Murkowski, who previously backed Peltola’s House campaigns, said the revelations demanded an explanation.

“Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments,” Murkowski said in a statement. “By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong.”

“Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign — what has been revealed is a pattern of lies and coverups and a culture of deception that belongs nowhere in our elections or among our elected officials,” she added.

Blanche, speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, defended the department’s intervention and signaled more could follow.

“I expect you're going to hear more from the Department of Justice this week as we learn more information,” he said. “They are cheating. They are trying to take votes away from the incumbent, not by running an election, not by running on issues, but by putting up a person with the same name, so that confuses Alaskans.”

Recruiting candidates to divide an opponent’s support is a familiar political tactic that generally falls within the law. Sullivan, the senator, is listed as a Republican and as the incumbent on the ballot; the alternate Sullivan is not identified in any way.

Pressed on whether the alleged conduct was illegal, Blanche answered, “Absolutely,” before adding, “It certainly should be.” He pointed to the department’s civil suit and declined to discuss ongoing criminal investigations.

The lawsuit seeks to delay certification of the state’s election results if the Republican Dan Sullivan loses in November, pending an investigation into voter confusion over the name. The Alaska Supreme Court allowed the other Sullivan to remain on the ballot in June.

Murkowski, meanwhile, has endorsed the incumbent Sullivan, but that hasn’t spared her from Trump’s attacks. After she said last week that the DOJ “should have never filed" this lawsuit, Trump branded her a “DISGRACE” to Alaska and “Republicans’ Worst Senator.”

Early voting in Alaska started Oct. 19. The Cook Political Report rates the Senate race as a toss-up.

Jordain Carney and Ashley Ahn contributed to this reporting.