President Trump blasted the “fake” Dan Sullivan campaign for the Senate in Alaska as a “hoax by the Democrats” and said his administration is looking into allegations that the longshot candidate coordinated with a liberal group to sabotage The Last Frontier’s Republican senator.
“We are looking — I can’t say federal, but we are looking into it,” Trump told Fox News’ Matt Finn late Tuesday following a rally for GOP candidates in Wasilla. “It’s a disgrace.”
“We have — I call him the real Dan Sullivan, a great senator from Alaska. And in the race, they put somebody named Dan Sullivan, who knows nothing about politics,” Trump said, referring to the little-known challenger who shares the incumbent’s name.
“His name happens to be Dan Sullivan,” the president added. “It’s a terrible thing. It’s another hoax by the Democrats.”
Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking a third term, but polls show him locked in a tight race with Democratic former congresswoman Mary Peltola.
Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and former US Forest Service employee, also made the ballot by virtue of his top-four finish in the non-partisan Aug. 18 primary.
Republicans have accused Dan J. Sullivan of running a sham campaign designed to confuse voters and siphon support from the incumbent in the Nov. 3 election. The lesser-known Sullivan denies the allegations.
The Post reported last month that watchdog group Americans for Public Trust had accused Dan J. Sullivan, dubbed “Decoy Dan,” of illegally coordinating with the left-leaning 907 Initiative to undermine the Republican’s re-election bid.
According to the complaint, Democratic strategist Amber Lee had worked with the campaign of Dan J. Sullivan — a nominal Republican — while serving on the board of the 907 Initiative, which spent roughly $1.5 million on ads attacking Dan S. Sullivan.
About $575,000 of that spending came during the final 90 days of the primary campaign, the watchdog alleged, arguing that Lee’s overlapping roles raised questions about whether she illegally coordinated the two entities’ activities.
The 907 Initiative, which takes its name from the state’s telephone area code, has denied wrongdoing and disputed allegations of financial ties to Lee.
“Decoy Dan” Sullivan was removed from the ballot in June by Alaska’s top election official, who concluded that a “preponderance of the evidence” showed his name and party affiliation were chosen to potentially confuse voters.
Days later, the Alaska Supreme Court ordered Dan J. Sullivan back on the ballot, ruling the state Division of Elections had opted for “the most extreme remedy possible” instead of taking less drastic steps to differentiate between the candidates.
The RealClearPolitics polling average shows Peltola leading Sullivan by 1.4 percentage points, 48.8%-47.4%.
However, unlike other Senate elections, the Alaska result will be determined by ranked-choice voting, meaning each of the four candidates will be eliminated until one gets more than 50%.
