Voting Rights · Report · File No. 261105-729
Trump says votes for Alaska's other Dan Sullivan should go to Sen. Dan Sullivan
With 75% of Alaska's Senate vote counted, President Trump said Thursday that ballots cast for a fringe candidate who shares the incumbent's name should be handed to Sen. Dan Sullivan. A federal judge already dismissed the Justice Department's bid to delay certification; the department appealed.
Every quote in this story (1) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
President Trump wrote Thursday that incumbent Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, should receive the vote totals cast for Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and Senate candidate in Alaska who shares the incumbent's name 1.
"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," Trump wrote in a Thursday post 1.
As of about 9 a.m. Eastern time Thursday, Democrat Mary Peltola led the race, with Sen. Sullivan close behind and 75% of the vote counted, according to the Associated Press 1.
How the race got here
Dan J. Sullivan, who lives in the fishing community of Petersburg, won 2.5% of the vote in the August open primary and qualified for the general election with a top-four finish, the AP reported 2. The ballot listed the two men as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation 2.
From Channel GOPTrump on the Alaska ballot and the DOJ suitDonald Trump · 238 plays · captioned, with the source named
The incumbent has called the matter "the biggest election cheating scandal in the history of the state of Alaska" 2. Peltola has denied involvement in any effort to recruit the other Sullivan, and Dan J. Sullivan has denied any contact with her campaign, the AP reported 2.
Last month, the Justice Department alleged that Sullivan's presence on the ballot threatened "to mislead Alaskan citizens who want to vote for Senator Sullivan" and argued it was "vital" for Alaska's election authorities not to certify a result that may be affected "by voter confusion" 1. A federal judge dismissed the department's bid to delay certification, and the department appealed 1.
The Justice Department has also sent target letters to Democratic operatives as its probes escalated, Axios reported 1.
What the candidates said
On election night, Sullivan told supporters: "Lower 48 blue wave. But we're different" 2. Peltola told her party: "We are getting our government back" 2.
Peltola also warned that counting would take time, saying: "It's going to take a long time to make sure we're counting every vote from every far-flung hinterland community, from every tiny outpost, from all of our service members serving overseas, our young people going to colleges" 2.
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
What happens next
Alaska accepts ballots postmarked by Election Day for up to 15 days after the election from overseas voters, making Nov. 18 the deadline for final receipt of ballots and when tabulations under the state's ranked choice voting system will be done, the AP reported 2. Under that system, rankings come into play if no candidate earns more than 50% of the first-choice votes 2.
Both candidates were below the 50%-plus-one threshold of first-choice votes required to win outright, and more returns are needed to determine whether either will exceed 50% or whether ranked choice tabulations will be triggered 2.
That matters because the White House is now asking that one candidate's votes be transferred to another before the count is finished, while a federal court fight over certification continues on appeal 1.
The Record
Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter
Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.
Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.
Sources
- Axios, “Trump: Sen. Sullivan should get votes cast for Alaska's other Sullivan” (2026-11-05). axios.com/2026/11/05/trump-dan-sullivan-alaska-senate-race
- AP News, “Sullivan, Peltola project confidence in Alaska US Senate race | AP News” (2026-11-03). apnews.com/article/alaska-senate-sullivan-peltola-trump-midt
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
More from the files
Justice Department asks judge to set aside Alaska ballots that rank Dan J. Sullivan
The filing, five days before the midterm election, asks that ballots ranking the second Dan Sullivan be preserved and kept separate while the government investigates whether voters were confused. Alaska's governor has already ordered a state investigation into Mary Peltola's campaign.
Alaska early voting tops 2022 pace and nears record despite two-Dan-Sullivans fight
More than 58,000 Alaskans have already voted, ahead of the 2022 midterm pace, even as the Justice Department and Republicans fight over a second 'Dan Sullivan' on the Senate ballot. The turnout shows voters showing up while the legal fight plays out.
Alaska Senate race still uncalled as Peltola and Sullivan run neck and neck
Democrats have won the Senate majority, but Alaska's contest between Mary Peltola and Sen. Dan Sullivan remains too close to call, leaving the final size of the Democratic majority unsettled.
Delivered free to your door*
The Morning Edition
One short email at 7 a.m. Eastern: the day's top files, one clip worth your time, and the race to watch. Plain English, large type, no clutter.
*Your inbox. Free. Unsubscribe with one click, any time.