Trump Demands Mary Peltola Be Removed From Alaska Senate Ballot Over Spoiler Candidate Scheme

President Trump called Wednesday for Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted after a New York Times investigation found that aides to Peltola and officials from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee secretly recruited a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to enter the race. The apparent goal was to create voter confusion and dilute support for Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, who faces a tight reelection contest against Peltola.

In a Truth Social post, Trump demanded that both Peltola and the recruited Daniel J. Sullivan be taken off the ballot, arguing that the Republican incumbent Sullivan "should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot." Trump also called for Peltola to face criminal prosecution, saying she should "suffer the legal and political consequences" of the alleged scheme. The Justice Department separately moved to have election results in Alaska decertified if Sullivan loses due to voter confusion stemming from the two identically named candidates.

Separately on Wednesday, a federal judge heard arguments in the Justice Department's bid to block California from counting mail ballots cast by more than 20,000 registered voters whom the Trump administration alleges could be noncitizens, adding to a broader pattern of administration legal action targeting election integrity questions in the 2026 midterm cycle.