Trump Demands Removal of Two Alaska Senate Candidates Over Alleged Ballot Scheme

US President Donald Trump has demanded that two candidates in Alaska's Senate race be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, accusing Democrats of running a scheme to mislead voters. The demand came on Wednesday, days before the November 3 vote, which could help decide control of the Senate.

In posts on Truth Social, Trump accused Democrat Mary Peltola and Daniel J Sullivan Jr of election fraud. He described the alleged operation as "Voter Fraud at the Highest Level" and said Democrats had lied under oath.

His comments followed a New York Times investigation into efforts by people tied to Peltola's campaign to recruit candidates who might draw support away from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. One of them was a retired teacher who shares the senator's name.

According to the Times, the effort started in 2025, when a Peltola aide was asked to identify Alaskans named Dan Sullivan. Citing interviews and messages, the paper reported that Peltola advisers and officials from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which backs Democratic Senate candidates, discussed ways to reshape the ballot.

The newspaper named Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz as a recruiter who approached potential candidates, at times using an assumed name. It also reported that another Democrat dropped out after being approached by Kurtz, which opened a spot for Republican Gerald Heikes, who said he had also been encouraged to run.

Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, told the Times that Peltola knew about the operation but did not take part directly. Rios later tried to withdraw her statements, though the newspaper said other evidence backed up its reporting.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic campaign committee both denied recruiting candidates. The campaign said political threats from Washington would not stop her candidacy. Senator Sullivan, speaking on Fox News on Wednesday, accused Peltola of deceiving voters.

The Times noted that recruiting candidates to split an opponent's vote, a practice known as ballot stacking, is generally legal and has been used by both major parties in Alaska. The two Sullivans are among four candidates in a ranked-choice election, in which voters list candidates by preference and votes move to the next choice if a first pick is eliminated. The ballot identifies the sitting senator as an incumbent Republican, and his namesake says he entered the race independently. Alaska's Supreme Court upheld the retired teacher's right to run in June.

Separately, Trump's Justice Department sued Alaska last week, seeking to delay certification of the result if Senator Sullivan loses and votes cast for his namesake could have changed the outcome. Alaska has asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that it lacks legal grounds.