Alaska Sen. Race Candidate Denies Knowing of Name-Alike Challenger

48% is the share of the primary vote that Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola secured, a margin that dwarfs the 2% obtained by a third-party challenger with a confusingly similar name. That challenger, Dan J. Sullivan, appeared on the ballot alongside the incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan, during the recent Democratic primary.

Peltola addressed the controversy on Thursday at a rally in Juneau, Alaska. She told supporters she had no knowledge of any other candidates on the ballot aside from herself and the Republican incumbent. “I just want to clear the air. I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about,” she said, according to an Associated Press video.

Her comments follow a New York Times report from Wednesday. The article alleged that Peltola’s campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan. The goal was to sow confusion on the ballot to benefit Peltola’s race. A former staffer for Peltola, Elisa Rios, told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved but was “definitely aware” of the effort.

The Peltola campaign previously told ABC News that it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. Peltola reiterated her stance at a separate event on Thursday, dismissing the media coverage as a distraction. “It’s another diversion. Every day, it’s some new, you know, ‘look over here’ moment,” she said in a video verified by ABC News.

Alaska courts have already reviewed the dispute over Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy. Judges found nothing illegal about his bid to remain on the ballot. This held true even though the Trump administration and Republican opponents argued the candidacy was an attempt to “confuse and mislead” voters.

President Donald Trump weighed in on the issue on Friday morning. Speaking on Kansas City radio station KMCO, Trump claimed Alaskans would need a “190 IQ” to understand the ballot. He argued that many voters do not understand the term “incumbent,” which distinguishes Sen. Sullivan from the other candidate on the list.

The general election ballot lists the incumbent as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican. It clearly marks him as the incumbent. The other candidate is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. Trump suggested these distinctions were not obvious to the average voter.

Sen. Sullivan criticized the alleged recruitment efforts on Fox News on Thursday. He described the move as a “secret operation” by Democrats. “The primary purpose, the only purpose, to trick Alaskans,” he said regarding the inclusion of the other Sullivan on the ballot.

The Justice Department has begun issuing a new wave of subpoenas related to a criminal probe of the alleged recruitment efforts, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Trump administration also filed a civil lawsuit last week. That suit seeks an injunction against the state certifying election results if Sen. Sullivan loses narrowly. A federal judge is expected to rule on that matter in the coming days.

Peltola added that she was not interested in tricking voters. “I know I can beat Dan Sullivan,” she said. The general election is set to take place in a few days.