Trump accuses Democrats of perjury in Dan Sullivan race
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Summary
President Trump accused Democrats and Mary Peltola's campaign of fraud and perjury Wednesday after the New York Times reported that Peltola aides helped recruit another candidate named Dan Sullivan. Why it matters: The revelations add a new twist to Alaska's tight Senate race, where a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot could complicate the Republican incumbent's reelection bid. The latest: "Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any DC politician will keep her away from that fight," an "Alaskans for Mary" spokesperson said in a Wednesday night email. "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." The campaign confirmed no assertions have been made in federal court about how Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy came to be or who was involved in his decision to run. Driving the news: The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola campaign aides worked with a veteran Democratic operative named Jerid Kurtz, whom the Times described as experienced in ballot-related political tactics. A Peltola staffer was reportedly told to search for every Dan Sullivan in the state. The effort ultimately located Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher who registered as a Republican shortly before filing to run for office, per the Times. Dan J. Sullivan previously said he voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections. He later changed his party registration to undeclared and will appear on November's ballot without a political party label. What they're saying: "It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election, thereby taking votes away from the REAL Senator, Dan Sullivan," Trump wrote in a Wednesday afternoon post on Truth Social. "The Democrats' false statements were made under oath in Federal Court. Therefore, they perjured themselves, and should be liable for very serious consequences," he added. "Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done, A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, and Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot." Trump offered no evidence to support his claims that Peltola committed election fraud. State of play: The Trump administration, concerned that Dan J. Sullivan could affect the race's outcome, has also sued Alaska to delay certification of the Senate election results if incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan narrowly loses, pending an investigation into possible voter confusion. Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have sought to intervene in the lawsuit and asked a federal judge to dismiss it. The ACLU, League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause are also seeking to join the case. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, where voters rank candidates in order of preference. Go deeper: DOJ sues to delay Alaska election results if GOP incumbent loses Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from the Peltola campaign.
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