Trump claims Alaska voters need ‘190 IQ’ to understand their ballot as DOJ ratchets up case against the state

With Election Day only days off, President Donald Trump is attacking the way Alaska printed its Senate ballot, as his administration works to head off a possible loss by Republican Senator Daniel S. Sullivan to Democratic nominee Mary Peltola. In a Friday radio interview with Pete Mundo, Trump said deciphering the ballot would take roughly a 190 IQ and suggested many Alaskans do not know what the label incumbent means. He also called the contest an example of fraud as serious as his 2020 defeat, which he described as rigged. No evidence supports that claim about 2020, and officials who served under him have conceded as much, according to The Independent.

The dispute centers on Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher with no party listed who shares the senator's surname. The New York Times reports that Peltola's campaign helped recruit him to muddle voters; Peltola denies it, and he says he ran on his own. The Justice Department has sued to bar certification if the senator loses because of confusion, and prosecutors have opened a criminal inquiry, issuing grand jury subpoenas to interview donors to his campaign.

Alaska officials have asked a court to throw out the suit, calling it "disturbing and impossible."

Summarized by PolitiKool from The Independent’s reporting. Read the full story at The Independent →