Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola denied knowing about other candidates in Alaska’s race Thursday as the U.S. Justice Department amended its lawsuit over how votes for another Sullivan candidate could affect the result.
At a Juneau campaign event on Oct. 29, Peltola told supporters she knew of no candidates on the ballot besides herself and incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, CBS News reported. “I am not interested in tricking voters,” she said, according to CBS.
The New York Times reported Oct. 28 that operatives aligned with Peltola’s campaign helped recruit a candidate with a name similar to Sullivan’s. The Justice Department cited the newspaper’s reporting in its amended complaint, alleging the recruitment was intended to reduce votes for the senator and benefit Peltola.
CBS News reported that Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied involvement. The claims have not been established in court. The amendment followed President Donald Trump’s Oct. 28 call for Peltola’s prosecution.
The Justice Department filed its original complaint on Oct. 22. It asked a court to block certification if Sen. Sullivan lost and a count treating votes for candidate Daniel J. Sullivan as votes for the senator would have changed the outcome. The amended filing added a claim under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.
The Alaska Division of Elections’ general-election roster lists “Sullivan, Dan S.” as a registered Republican and incumbent. It lists “Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.” as an undeclared, certified candidate. In June, the division said Daniel J. Sullivan’s filing was made “with a purpose to confuse or mislead.” On June 29, the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed an order requiring his inclusion on the primary ballot and sent the question of how to list him back to the division.
Under Alaska’s ranked-choice system, votes assigned to an eliminated candidate shift to the voter’s next-ranked option still in the contest. The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3.
