Trump demands Alaska ballot change after report on Dems recruiting Dan Sullivan to campaign

CBS News and PBS NewsHour report that President Donald Trump is demanding Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola leave Alaska's race and face prosecution, after a New York Times story said her campaign helped line up a second Dan Sullivan to run against the Republican incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan. The contest is among the most closely watched Senate races of the 2026 midterms, and Democrats see it as a route to regaining control of the chamber, according to PBS NewsHour · CBS News.

PBS NewsHour says Trump, speaking to reporters before a flight to Ohio on Wednesday, called the episode "voter fraud at the highest level." CBS News adds that on Truth Social he said the incumbent should run without either Peltola or the "FAKE" Sullivan on the ballot. The Times account, as CBS News relays it, describes a "ballot composition project" involving Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staff and Peltola's team. Her former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, said Peltola knew of it but was not personally involved. Peltola's campaign and the committee deny any contact with Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, who says the choice was his own.

Summarized by PolitiKool from PBS NewsHour · CBS News and PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at PBS NewsHour · CBS News → Also at PBS NewsHour →