Trump Demands Alaska Namesake Candidate's 3,600 Votes Be Given to Sen. Sullivan, Declaring the Election 'Over'
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday morning, November 5, demanding that the votes cast in Alaska's U.S. Senate race for the namesake candidate he called the "Fake Dan Sullivan" — plus those cast for another candidate he called a "slug" put on the ballot by Democrats — be immediately given to "the REAL Dan Sullivan," declaring: "the Election is over – He easily wins."
In tallies reported Thursday morning (Associated Press), Democratic candidate Mary Peltola led incumbent Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan by 102,962 votes to 102,325, a margin of just 637 votes. Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher with no party affiliation whose name is nearly identical to the senator's, had 3,600 votes (1.68%), and Republican Gerald Heikes had 4,846. Tens of thousands of early and absentee ballots remain uncounted, and the race has not been called.
The namesake candidate has been at the center of controversy for months. The New York Times reported before the election that senior advisers to Peltola's campaign coordinated efforts to recruit him into the race; her campaign denies involvement. The Justice Department sued in October to block state certification if the incumbent lost narrowly; a federal judge dismissed the suit on November 1 and the department has appealed. The department also sent criminal target letters on Election Day to more than a dozen people it says helped recruit the namesake candidate.
Alaska uses ranked-choice voting: if no candidate wins a majority of first-choice votes, a ranked-choice tabulation will be held on November 18, with certification scheduled for November 25. As of publication, Alaska election officials had announced no arrangement to transfer cast votes between candidates, and the Senate race remains uncalled.
Related:
DOJ amended complaint alleges Peltola camp ran a 'sham campaign' in Alaska
DOJ sends target letters on Election Day in Alaska namesake-candidate probe
Alaska election results checklist: all three races uncalled, ranked-choice count set for November 18
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：阿拉斯加州联邦参议员 Dan Sullivan 官方肖像。照片为公共领域图片（美国参议院），经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska. Public domain (U.S. Senate), via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-23Justice Department Sues Alaska: Seeks to Block Senate Result Certification if Incumbent Loses
- 2026-10-23[Video] Follow-Up: Landing in Fort Myers, Trump Says He Ordered the DOJ Lawsuit Over Alaska's Senate Race: "I'm the One That Said Do It"
- 2026-10-23Follow-Up: Trump Says He Directed DOJ Suit in Alaska to Block Possible Senate Certification
- 2026-10-24Follow-Up: Peltola Campaign Moves Overnight to Intervene in Alaska Senate Certification Case, Calling DOJ Demand an 'Extraordinary Assault' on Democracy
- 2026-10-24Follow-Up: Peltola Blasts DOJ Lawsuit as 'Corrupt' and 'Desperate' as Alaska Mail-Ballot Deadline Hits
- 2026-10-25Follow-up: Attorney General Todd Blanche Says Trump Has No Designs on Taking Over State Elections; Alaska Certification Suit Targets Same-Name Ballot Confusion
- 2026-10-26DOJ Sues to Block Alaska Senate Certification Pending Probe Into Same-Name Candidate Confusion
- 2026-10-26Follow-Up: Peltola Campaign Asks Judge to Dismiss DOJ Alaska Election Lawsuit, Calling the Complaint 'Wholly Baseless'
- 2026-10-27Follow-Up: Alaska Election Officials Ask Court to Dismiss DOJ Ballot Name Lawsuit by November 2
- 2026-10-30Follow-Up: DOJ Files Amended Alaska Suit Calling Peltola-Linked Effort a 'Sham Campaign'; State Election Officials Fire Back as 'Meritless'
- 2026-10-30Follow-Up: Justice Department Seeks Preliminary Injunction in Alaska Senate Case, Asking to Block Certification if Incumbent Loses Narrowly
- 2026-10-31Follow-Up: FBI Visits Dan J. Sullivan Donors as Alaska Senate Namesake Probe Widens
- 2026-10-31Follow-Up: Alaska Urges Federal Judge to Dismiss Justice Department Suit, Calls Separating Same-Name Ballots 'Impossible'
- 2026-11-01Follow-up: Alaska Sen. Sullivan Says He Will Accept the Election Results, Even If He Loses to Peltola
- 2026-11-01Follow-up: Federal Judge Throws Out DOJ Lawsuit Over Alaska Senate Race, Rejecting Ballot Segregation and Delayed Certification
- 2026-11-01Follow-Up: Federal Judge Dismisses DOJ's Alaska Senate Ballot Lawsuit; DOJ Appeals to the Ninth Circuit the Same Day
- 2026-11-03Follow-up: DOJ Sends Target Letters on Election Day as Alaska Same-Name Senate Candidate Probe Escalates
- 2026-11-05Trump Demands Alaska Namesake Candidate's 3,600 Votes Be Given to Sen. Sullivan, Declaring the Election 'Over'This story
