Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said Sunday he accepts the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, while accusing Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign of allegedly recruiting Dan J. Sullivan as a spoiler.
Asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he would only accept the results if he won, Sullivan said, “No, I will accept the results of the election.” President Donald Trump’s Justice Department has sued Alaska, demanding the state not certify the election if the incumbent Republican loses.
The complaint cites theoretical voter confusion over the appearance of a second Sullivan on the ballot, which the Justice Department argues could siphon votes from the incumbent Republican Sullivan and benefit Peltola. Alaska’s Senate race has been rated a “close race” by Amy Walter and the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, with Peltola holding a slight lead in polling averages compiled by Fifty+One.
Mr. Peltola has repeatedly denied any involvement with the second Mr. Sullivan. But the New York Times reported last week that her campaign was directly involved in putting former teacher Dan J. Sullivan in the running as a spoiler.
Vote stacking is generally not illegal, and both parties have used it in past elections. Still, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a criminal investigation into the alleged scheme. The Alaska Supreme Court upheld Dan J. Sullivan’s status on the ballot in an earlier legal challenge.
Sullivan said on CNN that the Times report shows that Peltola’s campaign, along with the Democratic Senate campaign arm, “realized they couldn’t run the election on their track record, so they had to cheat.”
“I think many Alaskans, including Democrats, think she is unfit for office. I assure you she has lied to Alaskans constantly and continues to lie,” Sullivan said.
Peltola denied knowing anything about the alleged plan to draft a second Sullivan in an interview with KTUU on Friday.
“Honestly, I have no idea,” Peltola said. “This is offensive to me on many levels. First of all, this is Alaska, we’re not going to cheat on each other here.”
“I’ve won statewide championships before on my own without any tricks, and I know I can win again,” she said.
The stakes in the Alaska race are high. For Democrats to win a Senate majority, they would need to flip four seats while holding all the seats currently held by Democrats. Alaska has emerged as the biggest opportunity for such a reversal.
The midterm elections will determine which party controls Congress for the remainder of President Trump’s White House term.
