New York Times Reports Democrats Tried To Recruit Second Dan Sullivan

An investigation by A New York Times uncovered a purported plot to enlist another Dan Sullivan for Alaska’s ballot. This report came as nearly one in ten registered Alaska voters had already cast their ballots. Critics say the move was intended to create confusion with the incumbent senator who shares the same name. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied any involvement in this reported effort.

The Ballot Confusion

According to A New York Times coverage, the campaign to attract possible Republican spoiler contenders involved Dan J. Sullivan. Text messages and internal documents show coordination between the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Peltola staffers. A source speaking with A New York Times told them Peltola knew about the initiatives in advance. Dan J. Sullivan secured a place on the ballot after earning only 2.5% of the primary vote. His campaign launch omitted any party label, and his site makes no mention of his stance on political matters.

Last week, the Department of Justice initiated a legal action aimed at postponing certification should Sen. Dan Sullivan lose. They cited possible confusion as the reason for the legal action. Whether the DOJ will prevail on those particular arguments remains uncertain. For Sen. Sullivan, the state’s ranked-choice voting mechanism adds further complexity to the electoral scenario. Under this system, voters rank their preferred candidates, and support passes to the next option if a top choice is eliminated.

Television Hosts React

Hosts on ABC’s The View took aim at Alaska Democrats for adding a second Dan Sullivan to the ballot. Whoopi Goldberg blasted Alaska Democrats for perpetrating “a shady tactic.” Joy Behar added that it was “a mistake on the part of the Democrats” in the state, according to Breitbart. Behar continued by calling the move “dumb of the Democrats” and a “lousy, low-level trick.” Alyssa Farah Griffin added that “it stinks to high heaven.”

Griffin declared her view that candidates ought to succeed based on merit rather than underhanded methods. She insisted that she does “not like the tactic at all.” She further asserted that the entire Democrat plan plays directly into Trump’s hands. Presenters observed that placing a person sharing a name on a ballot violates no current election statutes. Goldberg called the whole situation “sloppy and dumb” and said she feared it would hurt Peltola’s chances.

Questions on Voting Systems

Alaska state Sen. James Kaufman is one of those critics who fears the new system causes problems. He worries that some voters won’t bother to fill out both the “Sullivans” on the ballot. Kaufman thinks certain Alaska voters, particularly Republicans, still reject the system. “Some people have a pretty strong traditionalist perspective: one person, one man, one vote,” Kaufman said in an interview with Fox News Digital earlier this year, according to the New York Post.

He noted that ballot fatigue might cause people to just not rank candidates if they disagree with the process. A substantial portion of the population here simply opposes the rank-choice voting system. A New York Times coverage indicated that approximately 58,000 voters might have voted before discovering the reported effort. The timing means these voters cast ballots without knowing about the potential confusion on the ballot.

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