Sullivan, echoing Trump, claims some Alaskans don’t know what incumbent means
A few closing points about the 2026 state and federal elections in Alaska.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, echoing Trump, has just now started to claim that Alaskans are so confused by the two Dan Sullivans on the ballot, a change from what Sullivan was claiming even a month ago, that he will lose a lot of votes.
For months Sullivan had claimed that Alaskans were too smart to be confused by two Sullivans. Not now.
“Their scheme is working. They’ve got the decoy guy on the ballot. I’m sure I’m gonna lose a lot of votes to that trickery,” Sullivan told CNN’s Jake Tapper.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, repeated claims by Donald Trump, now claims to CNN that he will lose “a lot of votes” because some Alaskans won’t be able to read the ballot and see which Sullivan is which. Sullivan also claims that some Alaskans don’t know what incumbent means.
Sullivan has just started to repeat Trump’s claim that some Alaskans don’t know what incumbent means, so they are unable to read the ballot and tell which Sullivan is which.
Trump told a Kansas City radio station that you need a “190 IQ” to understand the Alaska ballot.
“They put a ballot down where they’re talking about ‘incumbent’ Republican, and the other one. Most people don’t know in Alaska — and a lot of other states, too — what does incumbent mean? I don’t know what incumbent means,” Trump said.
“Nobody’s ever seen voter fraud like this, Trump lied.
Sullivan also said the ballot is too complicated for some Alaskans.
“I met a guy last night at the event I was at with a bunch of veterans who said that he initially wrote in the wrong guy. People are coming up to poll workers in all kinds of places in Alaska saying hey they want to vote for me but they don’t know who that person is. Some people don’t know what incumbent means,” Sullivan told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “There is confusion, there’s no doubt about it.”
There is no confusion. There’s no doubt about it.
Sullivan’s new claims and his strategy are helping create the foundation for a court challenge and a political challenge if Mary Peltola wins the Senate race by a narrow margin.
There will be anecdotal evidence that voters for Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr. meant to vote for the incumbent, but were too dumb to do so. The ballots are secret so there will be no proof.
The state Department of Law says there is no reason to think voters will be confused, given the way the two men are listed on the ballot.
“If any Sullivan-supporting voter remains uncertain which Sullivan is which despite this clear differentiation on the ballot, the voter can ask for assistance from others or look up information about the candidates using a smart phone or an election pamphlet,” the state lawyers said.
But there will be confusion about the election created by Sullivan, Trump and the rest of the Republican establishment if Sullivan loses.
We will probably not know the results until later in the month when all the ballots are counted.
Sullivan will eagerly accept the support of Republicans in the Senate who will claim that all the votes for Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr. were meant for Sullivan, Dan, S. (Republican) incumbent and that Peltola should not be allowed to win.
“This is a national scandal. This is Watergate 2.0 for the U.S. Senate,” Sullivan claimed.
Asked if a crime was committed in Watergate 2.0, Sullivan, a lawyer, said, “Look, I’ll let the lawyers figure that out.”
There is no evidence that a crime occurred. That’s why Sullivan wants the lawyers to figure out Watergate 2.0. This is not the giant scandal Sullivan claims.
Many right-wing figures are already claiming that the Senate should refuse to seat Peltola.
Michael J. Heyman, the U.S. Attorney for Alaska, has still not given a credible explanation about why he, the FBI and the Alaska State Troopers held an unprecedented pre-election press conference that amounted to election interference by the Trump administration and the Dunleavy administration.
Heyman wants to be a federal judge. His behavior shows he does not have the qualifications to be a judge. He also is out of place as the chief federal prosecutor in Alaska, having agreed to a publicity stunt to bolster Trump’s attack on the Alaska election process. It was a political stunt from Trump’s Department of Justice, which is now the Department of Retribution.
The FBI wasted time and money on a voter-intimidation mission to Southeast Alaska to interview donors to the Petersburg Sullivan.
Rep. Rebecca Himschoot had it right, telling MS Now: “I would like someone to tell me what they’re investigating. No one has produced a federal code or state law that was allegedly violated. Those agents could be solving human trafficking cases.”
“Himschoot, the state legislator, who has known Daniel J. Sullivan for about two decades, said she was not surprised when he announced his candidacy, because he had long opposed the senator’s policies and had even joked about running for his seat. Himschoot believes that, regardless of whether he was in contact with any campaigns or political operatives, the choice to run was his own.”
“To insinuate that Dan J. Sullivan is not a fully formed adult making his own decisions is a little bit insulting,” she said. “Alaskans are not dumb.”
Trump can’t get in the car we can talk about. We can talk about Terrence gave us a ride wheelchair in the Walker room. What is the space of the car for garbage bag? I haven’t figure out how to darken it like I say to you know I’m joking. I haven’t paid for it yet though. Well, we can do it tomorrow or something. Do you know how many I’ve received from various entities I’ve gotten a bunch too. Did you vote for Dan Sullivan piece of shit? What kind of shenanigans are gonna pull it if it’s close which it will be tomorrow night it’ll be close. They’re gonna start, but you know that doesn’t even touch the shenanigans. what’s his face the jailbird that’s even said the dismissal of his lawsuit to interfere in the Alaska election was a “scam.”
The Trump administration preemptively tired to halt certification of the election results if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses.
In Fairbanks, Frank and Harmony Tomaszewski and Sen. Robb Myers hid the secret plan they concocted in trying to have Frank and Harmony become the first married couple elected to the Alaska Legislature.
Frank and Harmony have not provided a public defense because what they did is not defensible. Myers and Frank led their constituents to believe that Myers was running for reelection to the Senate and Frank was running for reelection to the state House.
At the last minute, Myers dropped out and Frank announced he would run for the Senate instead of Myers, creating an opening in the House for Frank’s wife.
“T&T is on the ballot,” according to Frank and Harmony, providing “twice the dedication” and “twice the commitment.”
What T&T did to get on the balllot and limit competition was not ethical.
The good news is that there is real competition for the state House seat. Joy Beth Cottle is a strong candidate for House District 34.
Writer and historian Dan O’Neill says that Mary Peltola would probably do lots of things that he wouldn’t like if she can get elected. But he said he knows for sure what she won’t do, including “sucking up to the boorish lout who occupies the White House, as Dan Sullivan dependably does. Let’s make a change. Let’s give Mary Peltola a chance and let Dan Sullivan go off to wherever Trump ass-kissers go for detoxification.” O’Neill is right.
O’Neill said he didn’t finish his column on the Senate race until Saturday and shipped if off to various newspapers, where it has not appeared. Here is the full text that includes a solid list of things that Peltola won’t do.
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