Blaze Column Questions Legitimacy of Alaska Senate Race Over Same-Name Candidate

In a TheBlaze opinion column, Mike Howell of the Oversight Project argues that a reported effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on Alaska's Senate ballot casts doubt on any win by Democrat Mary Peltola.

Key points

• The reporting: Howell cites a New York Times investigation describing Peltola campaign aides, lawyers and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee staff recruiting another man named Dan Sullivan to appear on the ballot with Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
• Peltola's position: Her former campaign manager told the Times Peltola was "definitely aware," then sought to retract it. Peltola denies any knowledge.
• Official responses: The Justice Department added the Times reporting to its lawsuit, which a federal judge dismissed for lack of standing and for having no practical way to review ballots while protecting voter secrecy. The department plans to appeal. Alaska's governor and House Republicans opened separate inquiries.
• Schumer's office: A spokeswoman said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had no knowledge of the plan and no role in it, a statement Howell says stops short of calling it wrong.
• Alaska's system: Howell says Alaska's 2020 move to a top-four primary and ranked-choice general elections is how the second Sullivan reached the ballot, and he faults Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has condemned the scheme, for helping create those conditions.

Quick take

Howell argues that Democrats who long warned about threats to democracy should meet that standard here, and that a certified Peltola win would still carry an asterisk.

Read the full story at TheBlaze.