President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Mary Peltola, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Alaska, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. The demand follows reports that Peltola’s campaign was involved in recruiting a namesake, a retired schoolteacher named Dan J. Sullivan, to run in the same race as Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.
The controversy centers on text messages obtained by The New York Times, which reportedly show Peltola campaign staff discussing the recruitment of individuals with the same name as the two-term Republican incumbent. The second Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, entered the race and remains one of four candidates on the ranked-choice ballot for the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.
President Trump stated on social media that Peltola should face "legal and political consequences" and told reporters she and the second Sullivan "should be prosecuted." The U.S. Department of Justice, at the president's direction, has already filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the certification of a potential Peltola victory, citing the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan as a source of voter confusion.
Peltola’s campaign denied involvement with either Sullivan campaign, calling the report a "distraction." Dan J. Sullivan has previously denied being recruited by Democrats. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also denied involvement, though the Times reported that its staffers were included in the campaign text messages.
The dispute impacts a Senate race that could determine party control of the chamber. If the Department of Justice lawsuit is successful, it could prevent the certification of election results. As of Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, 46,204 Alaskans had already cast their ballots.
The Republican incumbent is listed on the ballot as "Dan Sullivan," while the non-affiliated candidate is listed as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." Notre Dame law professor Derek Muller noted that while the recruitment may be viewed as a campaign tactic, the Alaska Supreme Court previously ruled that the second Sullivan was qualified to remain on the ballot.
A top state elections official originally ruled the second Sullivan ineligible for "purposely" trying to confuse or mislead voters, but that decision was overturned by the state's highest court. The outcome of the Department of Justice's attempt to block certification will determine whether federal courts can override state-level ballot qualifications based on claims of campaign-coordinated voter confusion. The general election is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026.