Trump Demands Prosecution of Mary Peltola Over Alaska Ballot Scheme

President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution and ballot removal of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola following allegations of election interference in Alaska. The demands follow reports that Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) secretly recruited Dan J. Sullivan to run as a candidate to siphon votes from Republican incumbent Senator Dan S. Sullivan.

According to reports, Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz worked with Peltola's senior aides and DSCC lawyers to recruit the former schoolteacher. While the Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied these claims, former campaign manager Elisa Rios initially suggested voters should see the full picture before retracting her statements. The Alaska Supreme Court previously ruled that both Sullivans may remain on the ballot.

In response, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking to delay the certification of election results if the outcome is affected by the presence of both Sullivans. Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Democrats of cheating to take votes from the incumbent. Simultaneously, Alaskans are voting on Ballot Measure 2 to repeal the state's ranked-choice voting system, an effort supported by funding from Elon Musk.