Two candidates sharing a name draw DOJ lawsuit as Trump says Peltola shouldn’t run in Alaska

Trump calls for prosecution

Trump made his remarks after The New York Times reported that people connected to Peltola’s campaign helped encourage Daniel J. Sullivan to enter the race against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The report cited text messages and interviews and described the recruitment as apparently part of a broader effort to attract candidates. Trump later told reporters that he thought Peltola and the other Sullivan “should be prosecuted.” He also said he had directed the Justice Department to act, telling reporters, “I’m the one that said, ‘Do it.’”

Campaigns dispute recruitment claims

Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, known as the DSCC, have strongly denied having a role in putting the second Sullivan on the ballot. The campaign said Peltola entered the race to represent Alaskans and would not be deterred by political threats.

A campaign spokesperson accused Peltola’s critics of making claims about a scheme while denying their own candidates’ recruitment efforts. The spokesperson also said Republicans have recruited or supported candidates to benefit their campaigns, citing two people who ran for Alaska seats.

Two Sullivans draw scrutiny

The second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, has been a source of concern for Republicans for months. Sen. Dan Sullivan has called him a “sham candidate” seeking to mislead voters, while Daniel J. Sullivan has rejected that accusation and said he is genuinely interested in running for the Senate.

Last week, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the election if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses because of voter confusion over the two candidates. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the suit as an effort to “put guardrails in place.”