Senator Dan Sullivan accuses rival campaign of recruiting namesake to confuse voters in Alaska

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska accused Democratic rival Mary Peltola's campaign and members of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) of mounting a secret scheme to deceive voters by recruiting another candidate named Dan Sullivan. The accusation was made on Fox News' "Hannity" program, six days before the election, according to the broadcast aired by Fox Business.

Sullivan reacted to a New York Times report on the case. According to the presenter's report, the instruction came from campaign ads to find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as possible, and the newspaper wrote that "the plan worked." The presenter noted that he would prefer to exchange "plan" for "scheme", and the senator agreed.

Accusations and legal response

According to the presenter, Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that Democrats were trying to deceive voters by nominating another Dan Sullivan and said that this should be illegal. Sullivan said the legal elements "will unfold" but that he cannot predict what the courts will do, and said he is monitoring the case with the Department of Justice.

The senator said the focus now is on the campaign: pressuring the opponent to "explain herself", ensuring that all Alaskans know about the episode and getting voters to the polls. According to him, Peltola did not apologize and behaves as if nothing had happened, which, in his opinion, shows contempt for the state's voters. He claimed that the rival campaign and the DSCC lied for almost a year about the issue and that responsibility would reach the top Democratic leadership in Washington, citing Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. All statements are the senator's and have not been independently confirmed in the transcript.

Sullivan also said the Alaska seat could determine who controls the U.S. Senate, giving the episode a national reach. According to him, the Republican campaign defends the release of Alaska's energy and the reconstruction of the Armed Forces, agendas that, in his opinion, Democrats are opposed to.

Vote by ranking and what's at stake

The presenter asked for guidance for voters who want Sullivan to win in the ranking system. The senator responded that voters should mark him first, as a registered Republican candidate and incumbent, and the other Republican second. In third place, according to him, would be the "fake" Dan Sullivan, and Peltola should not be classified. Sullivan called the model a "complicated system" and called for a "yes" vote on measure No. 2 on the ballot, which would allow for the end of ranked-choice voting in the state.

For the investor, the case is relevant because the result in Alaska could influence the balance of forces in the Senate, which affects the energy, defense and fiscal policy agenda in Washington. The transcript, however, does not contain market projections or electoral research data, and the outcome will depend on the vote and possible legal developments.

Sullivan concluded by saying that his team has "the momentum" and is confident of victory. Peltola's campaign is not heard in the transcript, and the accusations remain allegations from the senator and Republican supporters.

Automatically translated from Portuguese.