Politics · October 29, 2026
Trump accuses Democrats of perjury in Dan Sullivan race
In the Alaska U.S. Senate race, controversy has erupted following a New York Times report alleging that Democratic operatives and people aligned with Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to siphoning votes from the incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. President Trump and Senator Sullivan have characterized the move as 'election fraud' and 'corruption,' while the Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied direct involvement. The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit to block the certification of the results if the Republican incumbent loses, citing potential voter confusion. Meanwhile, historical parallels have been drawn to John F. Kennedy’s 1946 congressional race, which also featured two candidates with the same name.
Read the original coverage
- NewsweekMBFC: Right-Center
Before Alaska's two Dan Sullivans, JFK had two Joe Russos
Read at Newsweek ↗ - Fox NewsAllSides: Right (Digital)MBFC: Right
Sen Dan Sullivan brands Peltola’s alleged ballot scheme a ‘scandal at the highest order’
Read at Fox News ↗ - CBS NewsMBFC: Right-Center
Trump says Peltola "shouldn
Read at CBS News ↗ - BreitbartMBFC: Right
Booker: Dems Stacking Ballot in Alaska with Fake Dan Sullivan 'Much Ado About Nothing'
Read at Breitbart ↗ - AxiosMBFC: Left-Center
Trump accuses Democrats of perjury in Dan Sullivan race
Read at Axios ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- The New York Times reported that individuals aligned with Mary Peltola's campaign and Democratic operatives encouraged a second person named Dan Sullivan to run for the U.S. Senate in Alaska.
- The ballot lists two candidates named Dan Sullivan: incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and an unaffiliated candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
- Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have denied involvement in recruiting the second Sullivan.
- President Trump has publicly called the situation 'election fraud' and stated Peltola should not be allowed to run.
Reported by only some outlets
- The Trump administration has sued to block certification of the Alaska Senate election if the Republican incumbent loses (reported by Newsweek).
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski reportedly stated the Alaska Supreme Court has already decided on the matter and the DOJ has no standing (reported by Breitbart via Cory Booker).
- The historical parallel to JFK's 1946 race involved two men named Joe Russo (reported by Newsweek).
- Alaska uses a nonpartisan primary system and ranked-choice voting for the Senate contest (reported by CBS News).
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize the Peltola campaign's denials and frame the issue as a strategic effort to draw more candidates into a nonpartisan primary rather than a 'scheme'.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
highlight President Trump's accusations of 'election fraud', amplify Senator Sullivan's claims of 'corruption at the highest level', and characterize the recruitment as a 'covert' or 'secret operation' to trick voters.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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