National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott declined to say on November 1, 2026, whether he would accept a certified victory by Democrat Mary Peltola in Alaska's U.S. Senate race. Scott pointed to allegations that Peltola's campaign recruited a second candidate named Dan J. Sullivan to confuse voters. The Justice Department issued 30 subpoenas and sued to block certification if GOP incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses, though Sullivan himself pledged to accept the election outcome.
Tim Scott's statements on the race
- ▪Tim Scott predicted on November 1, 2026, that Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan will win the Alaska Senate seat and that Republicans will maintain their Senate majority.
- ▪National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott declined to say on NBC's Meet the Press whether he would accept a certified victory by Democrat Mary Peltola in the Alaska Senate election.
- ▪Tim Scott characterized alleged coordination between Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee to confuse Alaska voters as immoral, unethical, and a federal offense.
Dan Sullivan's statements on the race
- ▪Senator Dan Sullivan accused Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee of resorting to cheating because they could not run on their record.
- ▪Incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan stated on CNN's State of the Union on November 1, 2026, that he will accept the election results of the Alaska Senate race.
New York Times report
- ▪The New York Times reported that a Mary Peltola campaign staffer was tasked with identifying Alaskans named Dan Sullivan under an initiative called the ballot composition project.
- ▪A New York Times report alleged that people tied to Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan to run for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat.
Denials of candidate recruitment allegations
- ▪Elisa Rios, Mary Peltola's former campaign manager who spoke to The New York Times, later stated she retracted all statements regarding the 2026 Alaska Senate race.
- ▪Democratic candidate Mary Peltola repeatedly denied involvement with candidate Daniel J. Sullivan, stating she knew nothing about any candidate on the ballot other than herself and incumbent Dan S. Sullivan.
- ▪The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued a statement denying involvement with candidate Dan J. Sullivan in the Alaska Senate race.
Trump's response
- ▪President Donald Trump stated that Mary Peltola and candidate Daniel J. Sullivan should be removed from the Alaska ballot and prosecuted for election fraud.
- ▪President Donald Trump ordered a Department of Justice investigation into alleged voter fraud in the Alaska Senate election.
Federal legal actions and statements
- ▪The Department of Justice issued 30 subpoenas to Mary Peltola's campaign offices and Daniel J. Sullivan's offices regarding alleged ballot-stacking in the Alaska Senate race.
- ▪The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in October 2026 seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate results if incumbent Dan S. Sullivan loses, citing potential voter confusion from having two candidates named Dan Sullivan.
- ▪U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman stated on October 30, 2026, that federal authorities are taking seriously allegations that Democrats orchestrated a conspiracy to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan as a candidate in Alaska.
Alaska legal responses
- ▪Alaska's Supreme Court upheld Daniel J. Sullivan's place on the ballot during an earlier legal challenge.
- ▪Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered a state criminal investigation to determine whether the alleged ballot recruitment scheme violated state laws
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