Sullivan calls Peltola lying in CNN interview

Senator Dan Sullivan accused challenger Mary Peltola of deceiving voters and the media on November 1. Speaking with CNN host Jake Tapper, Sullivan claimed Peltola was fully aware of a scheme to place a decoy candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr., on the ballot. He described the candidate as a political unknown intended to confuse the electorate and split the vote for the incumbent.

Sullivan’s critique centered on a recent New York Times article. That report included text messages between Peltola’s former campaign manager and other team members. Sullivan argued the evidence contradicts Peltola’s current claim that she did not know about the ploy. He stated that a year-long operation would not proceed without informing the candidate.

"There's no way that this went on for a year that they weren't informing her on," Sullivan told Tapper. "It's just a complete fabrication. And she's got caught lying, and she's still lying to the Alaskan people, to the media, to all of us."

Sullivan acknowledged the scheme appears to be effective, noting that the decoy candidate secured a spot on the ballot. He predicted the trickery would cost him votes. While he said lawyers would determine if a crime occurred, he labeled the effort a dirty trick that showed a willingness to treat Alaskans with disdain. He pointed to aides in the article mocking the state's residents for being easy to dupe.

The senator described the text messages as a smoking gun. He said the messages proved Peltola and her team deliberately chose to cheat and deceive voters at the ballot box. Sullivan urged Alaskans to vote in high numbers to ensure the decoy candidate fails to capture a decisive share of the vote.

"I think a lot of Alaskans, even Democrats, are thinking she is not fit for office," he said. "She's continually lying to the Alaskan people, and I guarantee you she's lying right now. And that's just not worthy of a senator, certainly not a senator or a Senate candidate."

Sullivan said he would accept the election results if the process was fair. He concluded his remarks by telling voters not to let the election be stolen, emphasizing the need for turnout to counter the impact of the decoy candidate.