'This Is Cheating': Donald Trump Blames Democrats After Two Candidates Named Dan Sullivan Face Off in Alaska Senate Race
If the Republicans do not win, they will sue.
Oct. 26 2026, Published 10:23 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump has accused Democrats of "cheating" and called the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska U.S. Senate ballot a "SCAM," writing on Truth Social that he was examining "powerful legal options" to remove one of them, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Trump Weighs In On Alaska Senate Race
Trump took to TruthSocial to voice his concerns.
In a post late Wednesday night that also included endorsements for candidates in several other states, Trump wrote: "I am very concerned about the Dan S. Sullivan Race for the U.S. Senate in Alaska in that it is totally confusing, with the (Dumocrats) putting up another man, totally unrelated to Politics, named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr.
"It's ridiculous that the Court didn't stop this SCAM. Even 1, 2, or 3% could make the difference. Dan S. Sullivan is leading by a lot, but this is CHEATING in an Election, and the Judge that allowed this to happen should be ashamed of himself.
"We are looking at powerful legal options to remove the fraudulent Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from the Ballot, and holding the Democrats accountable for their Election Interference, in the pursuit of Justice and Fairness."
Alaska Senate Election
Peltola is the democrat that is running in the race.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan is seeking a third term against Democrat Mary Peltola, the former U.S. representative. Also on the Nov. 3 general-election ballot are Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from the fishing community of Petersburg, and Republican Gerald Heikes.
Alaska uses a top-four primary and ranked-choice voting in the general election.
In the Aug. 18 primary, Peltola received about 49.5%, Sen. Sullivan about 41.4%, Daniel J. Sullivan about 2.5%, and Heikes about 1.1%. After another Democrat withdrew, Heikes advanced as the fourth candidate.
State officials list Sen. Sullivan on the ballot as the "Registered Republican" incumbent.
Daniel J. Sullivan, who had been affiliated with the Alaska Independence Party before registering as a Republican when he filed, appears without a party designation.
Alaska Supreme Court Ruling
Sen. Sullivan has already tried to keep Daniel J. Sullivan off the ballot.
Earlier efforts by Republicans and state election officials to keep Daniel J. Sullivan off the ballot were rejected by the Alaska Supreme Court, which ordered that he remain.
The state Division of Elections had previously determined his candidacy was intended to confuse or mislead voters, but courts disagreed on the grounds for removal.
Trump has separately criticized Alaska's ranked-choice voting system, approved by voters in 2020, as a "scam" and has urged support for a ballot measure to repeal it.
DOJ Attempting to Block Results
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Trump is accusing Democrats of cheating the Senate race in Alaska.
Days after the Truth Social post, the Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit against Alaska and its elections director seeking to block certification of the Senate results if Sen. Sullivan loses and if he would have won had votes cast for Daniel J. Sullivan instead gone to him.
Trump told reporters he directed the filing, saying, "I'm the one that said do it."
The complaint, assigned to a federal judge in Alaska, asks the court to prevent certification pending an investigation into whether votes for the Petersburg candidate were intended for the senator.
