Midterms 2026 · Report · File No. 261101-620
Sullivan says he'll accept Alaska results, rebuking Trump's ballot demand
Sen. Dan Sullivan told CNN he will accept Alaska's election results even if he loses, two days before the midterms and after President Trump demanded that ranked-choice ballots in his race be set aside.
Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Alaska Republican, said Sunday that he will accept the outcome of his Senate race whether he wins or loses 1.
Asked by CNN's Jake Tapper whether he would accept the results only if he won, Sullivan said: "No, I'm going to accept the election results." 1
The race has been roiled by a New York Times investigation, cited by The Guardian, reporting that aides to Democrat Mary Peltola recruited another man who shares Sullivan's name to enter the race in a ploy to peel votes away from the incumbent 1. Peltola has denied any knowledge of such a scheme, recently telling a reporter at a campaign event that she had "no idea" if any of her staff were involved 1.
Sullivan said he was not focused on how Peltola's campaign might be legally challenged and was focused instead on winning outright. But he expressed doubt that Peltola had lacked knowledge of the effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot 1.
From Channel GOPPeltola: Social Security is the number one issueMary Peltola · 124 plays · captioned, with the source named
No, I'm going to accept the election results.
The Guardian also reported that the Washington Post found Republicans tried to boost unviable Democratic candidates in the Alaska primaries. A Republican super PAC boosted two Senate candidates who did not live in Alaska and praised them as "progressives" similar to Bernie Sanders 1.
Why the timing matters
Sullivan's statement lands two days before Tuesday's midterm election, with control of Congress on the line. All 435 House seats and 35 Senate races are on the ballot, and candidates for governor are on the ballot in 39 states 2.
Alaska's ranked-choice system means full results may take time. If no candidate tops 50% of first-choice selections, the state says full results of the ranked-choice ballots won't be available until 15 days after the election, Nov. 18 2. Alaska's polls close at 1 a.m. ET 2.
That matters because the Alaska Senate race is closely watched, and a candidate's willingness to accept a slow, multi-round count is a test of confidence in the process itself 2. Sullivan's answer stands in contrast with the president's posture toward the race, while Peltola continues to deny involvement in the ballot ploy 1.
The pattern is that Republican candidates are being asked, one by one, whether they will accept results they might not like. Sullivan's answer is the receipt: a sitting Republican senator saying on camera that he will accept the count 1.
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Sources
- The Guardian, “Republican senator Dan Sullivan says he will accept Alaska election results” (2026-11-01). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/01/alaska-senate-race-repub
- CBS News, “How to watch live 2026 election results on CBS News” (2026-10-31). cbsnews.com/news/where-to-watch-election-2026/
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More from the files
Trump demands Peltola quit Alaska Senate race and be prosecuted over spoiler report
Six days before the midterm election, the president seized on a New York Times report that Peltola's campaign and Senate Democratic aides helped recruit a second Dan Sullivan. Peltola and the DSCC deny involvement, and a federal judge could rule on the Justice Department's lawsuit this week.
Times report links Peltola campaign to recruiting second Dan Sullivan in Alaska
A New York Times investigation says aides to Democrat Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit a challenger named Daniel J. Sullivan to siphon votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. Both campaigns deny it, and a federal judge is fast-tracking a Justice Department suit over the ballot.
FBI visits Dan J. Sullivan donors in Alaska as Senate inquiry widens before Tuesday's vote
Agents have knocked on donors' doors in Alaska and Massachusetts asking whether they were misled about which Dan Sullivan they backed. The Republican incumbent's Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, calls the allegations 'garbage.'
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