President Trump said Thursday that votes for a second Dan Sullivan, plus another candidate he called a “slug,” should be handed to Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who trails Democrat Mary Peltola by a few hundred votes in Alaska’s uncalled Senate race.
Trump made the demand on Truth Social shortly before 9 a.m. ET on Nov. 5, according to Mediaite. Alaska law has no process for moving votes from one candidate to another. Peltola’s campaign had not publicly responded to the post as of Thursday afternoon.
What Trump wrote
“The vote totals for the Fake Dan Sullivan, plus the other ‘slug’ that the Dems put on the Ballot, should be immediately given to the REAL Dan Sullivan, and the Election is over – He easily wins,” Trump wrote. “There is no other fair solution!”
The “Fake Dan Sullivan” is Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher with the same name as the senator. He appears on the ballot with no party label. Trump did not name the second candidate. One America News and Democracy Docket both reported that he meant Republican Gerald Heikes.
Where the count stands
According to the Associated Press, as cited by Axios on Thursday morning:
- Peltola led Sullivan by 637 first-choice votes, with about 75% of ballots counted.
- Heikes had about 4,846 votes, roughly 2.3%.
- Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. had 3,600 votes, roughly 1.7%.
- Overseas ballots can arrive up to 15 days after Election Day, AP reported.
How Alaska actually decides
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting. Voters rank candidates in order. If nobody tops 50% of first choices, the last-place candidate is dropped, and those ballots move to each voter’s next pick. That repeats until one candidate has a majority. State officials plan that count for Nov. 18, according to AP.
So the minor candidates’ voters will still matter, but only if they ranked Sullivan or Peltola as a backup. The Alaska Beacon analyzed early ballot data and found that, of 3,426 ballots for Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in that file, 991 would shift to Peltola and 560 to the senator. The Beacon said this showed little sign of voters confusing the two men. It also found that Heikes voters leaned toward the senator, which could help him overall.
The fight behind the post
Republicans have accused Democrats of planting the second Sullivan to split the vote. The New York Times reported in October that Peltola advisers helped recruit him, Axios noted. Peltola’s campaign has denied any role, saying in October that it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.”
The Justice Department also sued to delay certification if the senator loses narrowly. A federal judge dismissed that request, and the department has appealed, Axios reported. Results are due to be certified Nov. 25.
What happens next
Election workers will keep counting early, absentee and overseas ballots. The ranked-choice tally on Nov. 18 should settle the race unless one candidate clears 50% first.
Sources: Axios, Mediaite, AP, Alaska Beacon, One America News, Democracy Docket, Axios (Oct. 28).
