Trump seeks probe over namesake candidate in tight Alaska Senate race

A namesake candidate in Alaska has sparked a political controversy ahead of the November 3 elections to the US House of Representatives and Senate, with President Donald Trump alleging voter fraud and demanding an investigation, news agency Press Trust of India reported.

Republican Senator Daniel Sullivan is facing Democrat Mary Peltola in a close contest, while another candidate named Daniel Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher with no party affiliation, is also on the ballot. The New York Times reported that the teacher's candidature was part of a coordinated effort by Peltola's team.

Opinion polls show Trump's Republican Party trailing nationwide, including in traditional Republican strongholds such as Alaska. The elections are being seen as an important test of Trump's policies and popularity.

Following the New York Times report, Trump called for a Justice Department investigation into alleged voter fraud. His administration has claimed that Alaska Democrats recruited the namesake candidate to confuse voters and draw votes away from the Republican Sullivan.

"This is Voter Fraud at the Highest Level this behavior in our Elections cannot be allowed to continue," Trump wrote on Truth Social. He also called for Peltola to be "removed from the ballot and prosecuted".

CNN reported on Thursday that the Justice Department had "dramatically accelerated a criminal probe" into the matter, issuing dozens of new grand jury subpoenas and examining possible charges, according to PTI.

There is no apparent legal bar on two candidates with the same name contesting an election. The ballot identifies one Sullivan as the incumbent and the other as having no party affiliation.

CNN political analyst Stephen Collinson wrote: "But Trump has spent years spinning false conspiracies about Democratic cheating and non-existent electoral fraud. Now, at last he has a data point to sculpt into a suggestive narrative."

He added: "And whether the OG (original) Dan Sullivan wins or loses, the president will be sure to highlight shenanigans in Alaska to claim Democrats everywhere are corrupt — especially if the GOP bombs on Tuesday (Nov. 3)."

Under US law, elections are administered by states, which decide who can appear on the ballot. The federal government has no role in that process, raising questions about whether a Justice Department case would hold up in court.

"But in politics, as opposed to the law, perception has long been as important as reality. Trump understands this more instinctively than any modern president," Collinson wrote.

Control of the 100-member Senate hangs in the balance, with contests in a few states, including Alaska, expected to decide the outcome. A New York Times-Siena poll gave the Democrats a lead of 51 per cent to 45 per cent over Sullivan.

Namesake candidates have also featured in Indian elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election in Mathura, actor and BJP candidate Hema Malini faced another candidate with the same name. In Wayanad in 2019, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi contested against another Rahul Gandhi and a Raghul Gandhi.

A public interest litigation filed in India in 2024 challenged the use of candidates with duplicate or similar names. The Supreme Court dismissed the plea, saying a person's name, whether Rahul Gandhi or Lalu Prasad Yadav, could not restrict their right to contest elections.

Congress leader Ajit Jogi also faced a similar situation in the 2014 Mahasamund election in Chhattisgarh. Contesting against the BJP's Chandulal Sahu, Jogi had at least seven other candidates named Chandulal in the race, along with three named Chanduram. The BJP's Sahu still won by a narrow margin, while the other candidates received a sizeable number of votes.

In Mathura, the namesake Hema Malini lost the 2014 election, while the actor won. The Alaska contest has now brought similar namesake candidates into focus in the US, with the dispute becoming part of the wider political battle over control of Congress.

With PTI Inputs

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