Bernie Sanders Blasts Democrats’ Alaska Name-Game Scheme as ‘Pretty Dumb’
Sen. Bernie Sanders sharply criticized Democratic operatives Sunday over reports that they helped recruit a candidate with nearly the same name as Alaska Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, apparently hoping to confuse voters and weaken the incumbent’s reelection prospects. Sanders called the maneuver “pretty dumb,” although he acknowledged that the tactic did not violate election law.
During an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” the Vermont independent was questioned about allegations that Democrats had encouraged Dan J. Sullivan to enter the race against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, potentially drawing votes away from the incumbent.
“Yeah, frankly what the Democrats did in Alaska seems to be pretty dumb but … it’s not illegal,” Sanders said.
The controversy centers on reports that individuals associated with Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign helped bring another Sullivan into the contest. The additional candidate, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska, has been nicknamed “Decoy Dan” because of the similarity between his name and that of the Republican senator.
Sanders argued that such political maneuvering is hardly unique to Democrats, pointing to an Ohio Senate contest in which a Republican-aligned super PAC reportedly provided financial support to socialist candidate Greg Levy in an effort to siphon votes from Democrat Sherrod Brown.
“It’s what happens in every election,” Sanders said.
“So why in Ohio is a Republican right-wing super PAC funding a socialist? The answer is obviously obvious. They want to take votes away from Sherrod Brown,” Sanders said. “Is this a good thing to do? No, it is not a good thing to do. It’s a stupid thing to do.”
Despite his criticism of the Alaska strategy, Sanders rejected suggestions that Washington should intervene, maintaining that questions about the conduct of state elections belong to state authorities.
“The federal government does not get involved in state elections,” Sanders said.
The senator also took aim at President Donald Trump, arguing that it was “a little bit absurd” for a president who challenged the results of the 2020 presidential election to position himself as an authority on electoral fairness.
“People of Alaska can make that decision themselves,” Sanders added.
The allegations have also triggered legal action and an investigation in Alaska. State authorities have been examining the circumstances surrounding the second Sullivan’s candidacy, while the Justice Department sought to prevent certification of the Senate election if the Republican incumbent lost amid the ballot controversy.
However, a federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s lawsuit Sunday, rejecting its attempt to delay certification. Alaska’s Republican-led state government had opposed the federal challenge and urged the court to throw it out.
The election is being conducted under Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. Election officials have taken steps to distinguish the two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, although the controversy has raised concerns about potential voter confusion.
The Republican incumbent, meanwhile, said Sunday that he would accept the outcome of the election even if he were defeated by Peltola, despite the continuing dispute over the second Sullivan’s candidacy.
