Trump Demands Alaska Senate Votes Be Shifted to Sullivan

Trump urged Alaska officials to transfer votes cast for two other candidates to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, saying the change would settle the close Senate contest in Sullivan’s favor. He made the demand in a Truth Social post on November 5, calling one candidate a “slug” and the other a false version of Sullivan.

As of early November 4, Democrat Mary Peltola led Sullivan by 626 votes, with 48% to his 47.7% and more than 98% of precincts reporting. No winner had been declared. Ranked-choice votes were scheduled to be counted on November 18, and Sullivan’s campaign had said it expected him to narrowly prevail after those votes were tallied.

Trump’s supposed stand-in is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who taught before retiring and ran without a party affiliation, receiving about 1.7% of the vote. Gerald Heikes was the race’s fourth candidate. Trump wants first-choice votes for both candidates assigned to Sullivan, rather than counted according to voters’ rankings.

Trump’s administration challenged Alaska’s election procedures in court, arguing that having two candidates named Dan Sullivan was unfair. A federal judge dismissed the government’s suit on November 1, saying it lacked standing and had not explained how ballots could be set aside while keeping votes secret. The Justice Department appealed that ruling the same day. Peltola has denied allegations that people on her campaign helped recruit Sullivan Jr.; the state’s highest court affirmed the decision permitting him to appear on the ballot.

Trump Presses to Override Alaska Voters’ Senate Choices

President Donald Trump is seeking to change the outcome of Alaska’s unsettled Senate race by demanding that votes for two other candidates be handed to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. His November 5 Truth Social post calls one candidate a “slug” and insists the transfer is the only fair outcome.

The demand comes as Democrat Mary Peltola led Sullivan by 626 votes as of early November 4, with more than 98% of precincts reporting. Ranked-choice votes were due to be counted on November 18, and Sullivan’s campaign expected him to win narrowly after that count. Trump, however, wants the two candidates’ first-choice votes allocated to Sullivan, whatever rankings voters submitted.

His administration has already tried to use the courts to restrict how Alaska counts ballots in the race. A federal judge dismissed its suit on November 1, finding that the government lacked standing and had not explained how ballots could be set aside without compromising voter secrecy; the Justice Department appealed. The dispute underscores the stakes of honoring voters’ ranked choices rather than changing the rules to favor a candidate. Peltola has denied allegations that her campaign was involved in recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who received about 1.7% of the vote.

Trump Challenges Alaska Ballot That Could Cost Sullivan the Race

Alaska’s unresolved Senate race has two candidates named Dan Sullivan, and President Donald Trump is demanding that votes for the non-incumbent and another minor candidate be transferred to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Trump argued in a November 5 post that this would end the contest fairly.

The race remained close: as of early November 4, Democrat Mary Peltola led Sullivan by 626 votes, with more than 98% of precincts reporting. Ranked-choice votes were scheduled for November 18, and Sullivan’s campaign projected that he would narrowly win once they were counted. Trump has argued for weeks that the two Sullivans on the ballot could confuse voters and that the situation was unfair.

The non-incumbent, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., is a retired teacher who ran without a party affiliation and received about 1.7% of the vote. Alaska’s Supreme Court upheld a ruling that allowed him to remain on the ballot. The Justice Department sued over how the state could certify the result, but a federal judge dismissed the case on November 1, saying the government lacked standing and had not shown how ballots could be set aside while protecting voter secrecy. The department appealed that day. Peltola has denied allegations that her campaign helped recruit Sullivan Jr.