President Trump issued an urgent warning to Alaska voters Tuesday morning, urging them to make certain they cast their ballots for incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan amid an unusual primary featuring another candidate with nearly the identical name.
“ALASKA: Be careful, VOTE FOR THE REAL DAN SULLIVAN TODAY,” Trump posted on Truth Social, once again throwing his support behind Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, who is campaigning for a third term in Washington.
Trump alleged that Democrats were attempting to mislead voters by having another Dan Sullivan appear on the ballot. The second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, is a retired fifth-grade teacher who describes himself as a pragmatic Republican.
“The Dumocrats know how good he is and have put up an imposter of the same name,” Trump wrote. “Vote for the ‘INCUMBENT SENATOR.’ Don’t let these Fraudsters get away with this HOAX.”
The president also praised Sen. Sullivan’s record representing Alaska, crediting him with helping bring “HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS” to the state.
Trump had delivered a similar message Friday, accusing Democrats of engaging in “trickery” and instructing his supporters to vote for “SULLIVAN, DAN S. — REGISTERED REPUBLICAN/INCUMBENT.”
The Alaska Democratic Party and the campaign of ex-Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is viewed as Sen. Sullivan’s leading opponent in the race, have both denied having any involvement in Dan J. Sullivan’s decision to run.
Despite those denials, Republicans have continued raising questions about the circumstances surrounding Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee has cited people associated with his campaign, including adviser Amber Lee and representative Alan Harris, in arguing that the candidacy has connections to Democrats.
Harris previously appeared in an advertisement produced by Majority Forward, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC, that attacked Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
Senate Majority PAC has denied having any communication with Dan J. Sullivan or encouraging him to enter the contest. Dan J. Sullivan has likewise denied coordinating his campaign with Peltola.
Alaska election authorities initially removed Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot after determining that he had not filed his candidacy in good faith and that his campaign was intended to cause confusion among voters.
Superior Court Judge Thomas Matthews subsequently overturned that determination. Matthews ruled that state election officials did not have the authority to create an additional “good-faith” requirement for candidates and concluded that the state had failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that Dan J. Sullivan entered the race with the intention of confusing voters.
The Alaska Supreme Court upheld Matthews’ decision, clearing the way for Dan J. Sullivan’s name to appear on Tuesday’s primary ballot.
Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary system in which the four candidates receiving the most votes advance to the ranked-choice general election in November.
With 16 candidates competing for Alaska’s U.S. Senate seat in Tuesday’s primary, it remains possible for both candidates named Dan Sullivan to finish among the top four and advance to the November election.
{Matzav.com}
