January 1, Schumer Accused of Yearlong Plot to Trick Alaska Voters

Wyatt’s Take

• Schumer and Democrats allegedly worked for over a year to plant a decoy candidate on the Alaska ballot to confuse voters.
• Ranked-choice voting makes the scheme even more dangerous for honest elections in the state.
• Republicans say the plan shows Democrats view everyday Americans as easy to fool.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso is speaking out after reports that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer worked with Democrats to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the Alaska ballot.

The goal was to confuse voters in a state that uses ranked-choice voting, where both Sullivans, Rep. Mary Peltola, and another candidate will appear on the same ballot.

“I mean, this is criminal behavior to steal the Alaska Senate race, it’s now been fully exposed,” Barrasso said. “And there is proof that the Peltola campaign knew about it, and that Schumer schemed and colluded with them for over a year to try to search for and then coax a decoy of Dan Sullivan onto the ballot with a purpose only to deceive the voters.”

Schumer’s office and Peltola’s campaign have not responded to requests for comment.

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski also weighed in, calling the effort a clear attempt to stack the ballot.

“Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign — what has been revealed is a pattern of lies and coverups and a culture of deception that belongs nowhere in our elections or among our elected officials,” she said.

Peltola told supporters in Juneau she knew nothing about any other candidates besides herself and the real Dan Sullivan.

“I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent,” Peltola said. “That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters. I know I can beat Dan Sullivan.”

Barrasso said the plan shows how little respect Democrats have for regular voters.

“I mean, these people just are, you know, dirty, rotten scoundrels — cheaters,” Barrasso said.

“I mean, how more cynical can you get than what the Democrats have done here,” he continued.

Wyatt Matters

Working families in the heartland expect elections to be fair, not rigged with tricks that treat voters like fools.