Politics · November 5, 2026
Trump: Sen. Sullivan should get votes cast for Alaska's other Sullivan
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President Trump called for the votes cast for two minor candidates in the Alaska Senate race to be awarded to incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. On Truth Social, Trump referred to candidates Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. and Gerald Heikes as a 'Fake Dan Sullivan' and a 'slug,' respectively, arguing their totals should be given to the 'REAL Dan Sullivan' to end the election. The race between Senator Sullivan and Democratic challenger Mary Peltola remains too close to call under Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, where Peltola holds a narrow lead in initial counts. Republicans have alleged that the second Sullivan was recruited as a 'spoiler' candidate to confuse voters, a claim Peltola’s campaign denies.
Read the original coverage
- AxiosMBFC: Left-Center
Trump: Sen. Sullivan should get votes cast for Alaska's other Sullivan
Read at Axios ↗ - Washington ExaminerMBFC: Right-Center
Trump says votes for ‘Fake Dan Sullivan’ should be given to Sen. Sullivan
Read at Washington Examiner ↗ - Just the NewsMBFC: Far Right
Trump calls for declaring Dan Sullivan victor in Alaska Senate race
Read at Just the News ↗ - TheBlazeMBFC: Right
Republican Dan Sullivan confident he kept his Senate seat in Alaska despite alleged cheating
Read at TheBlaze ↗ - Raw StoryMBFC: Left
Trump uncorks new demand to flip Senate race:
Read at Raw Story ↗ - BreitbartMBFC: Right
President Trump: Votes for Alaska's 'Fake Dan Sullivan' Should Go to 'Real Dan Sullivan... No Other Fair Solution!'
Read at Breitbart ↗ - NewsweekMBFC: Right-Center
Who is Gerald Heikes? Trump wants Alaska votes given to Dan Sullivan
Read at Newsweek ↗
Reported across the spectrum
- President Trump posted on Truth Social demanding that votes for other candidates be given to incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan.
- The Alaska Senate race involves two candidates named Dan Sullivan: the incumbent and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
- Mary Peltola is the Democratic challenger in the race.
- Alaska uses a ranked-choice voting system.
- The election remains unresolved with no winner declared as of the reporting.
Reported by only some outlets
- Peltola leads with 48.17% to Sullivan's 47.88%.
- Gerald Heikes is the third-place candidate with 2.27% of the vote.
- Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. received 1.68% of the vote.
- The Department of Justice has previously looked into the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot.
- Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. is a retired teacher.
Left-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
characterize Trump's social media post as a 'demand to flip' the election and highlight that his proposal has 'no basis' under state law.
Right-leaning outlets tend to emphasize…
emphasize allegations of a 'scheme' or 'spoiler' candidate recruited by Democrats to 'trick' and 'confuse' voters.
Where coverage diverges
Coverage diverges along left/right lines — see Framing tab for specifics.
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CadNews does not determine absolute truth or endorse political viewpoints. It compares publicly available reporting, identifies shared facts, highlights framing differences, and flags uncertainty.