30-year sentence in Minnesota fraud that drew Trump backlash

Donald Trump urged on October 29 that Democratic Senate hopeful Mary Peltola and a Republican candidate with the same name as incumbent Dan Sullivan be removed from the upcoming election ballot in Alaska. The Republican President alleged that Democrats had engaged in a fraudulent scheme to mislead voters by recruiting so-called "spoiler" candidates, including another Dan Sullivan, to siphon votes from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.

Trump's accusations were based on a New York Times investigation that detailed the Democrats' covert efforts to recruit candidates like Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a remote Alaskan fishing community. According to the newspaper, Trump accused Democrats of committing perjury in federal court, demanding that Peltola and the "FAKE Dan Sullivan" be removed from the ballot.

He also stated that Peltola and any other alleged accomplices should be prosecuted, labeling it "voter fraud at the highest level".

However, the New York Times clarified that recruiting candidates to split an opponent's vote, or ballot stacking, is generally legal and has been employed by both parties in Alaska. The investigation did not establish criminal wrongdoing or substantiate Trump's claims of perjury. The article identified Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz as a key figure in the scheme, stating that he traveled around Alaska under an assumed name to court potential candidates.

The Times also reported that Kurtz urged a Democrat to withdraw from the race after the August primary, making way for Republican Gerald Heikes on the four-candidate ranked-choice ballot. Both Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) denied any involvement in recruiting candidates. The revelations follow Trump's request to the Justice Department to sue Alaska for the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot, aiming to delay certification if Peltola narrowly wins and those votes could have altered the outcome.