Alaska's ranked-choice voting, spoiler scheme under scrutiny; Trump in Ohio for final-week push

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, accused Democrat challenger Mary Peltola of participating in a yearlong effort to confuse voters by recruiting another candidate with his name, calling the controversy a major scandal just six days before Election Day.

"Mary Peltola, her campaign team, senior DSCC Democrats had a scheme, a secret scheme, to trick Alaskan voters," Sullivan told Fox News' Sean Hannity on Wednesday night.

"And then Sean, they've been lying for almost a year about it, and now they're caught," he added.

Sullivan's remarks follow a New York Times report detailing discussions involving Democrat operatives about recruiting Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with a nearly-identical name.

Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement in recruiting the candidate.

Sullivan accused his opponent of refusing to acknowledge the controversy and demanded that she answer questions about her campaign's involvement.

"Even today, she has not apologized. Even today, she's kind of playing as if nothing happened," Sullivan said.

The senator also suggested the alleged effort reached senior Democrat officials in Washington.

"This goes to the highest levels of Democrats in D.C. Schumer, Gillibrand. It's an outrage," he said.

Asked whether he planned additional legal action, Sullivan said his immediate priority was campaigning and warning voters about the similarly named candidate.

"My focus right now is campaigning and is getting out the vote and is making sure that the most important thing we can do is telling all Alaskans, do not be tricked," Sullivan said.

Sullivan said he would continue campaigning through Election Day while monitoring the legal developments surrounding the ballot controversy.

"This is a scandal at the highest order," he declared.

President Donald Trump floated bringing a new Space Academy to Ohio on Wednesday night if Republican Sen. Jon Husted wins reelection, dangling another major federal investment as he campaigned for the incumbent just six days before the midterms.

"And I wanted you to know that if John Husted wins. I am going to consider putting the Space Academy right here," Trump told supporters at his rally in Chillicothe, Ohio.

The president said states across the country were competing for the opportunity, making clear that the potential project would depend on Husted's electoral success.

Trump also credited Husted and fellow Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno with securing a Navy facility in Ohio to service submarines.

"The Department of War has selected the new home of the Navy's Future Component Repair Center, which is a big deal to work on all new and existing submarines right here in Ohio," Trump said. "That was John."

Trump joked that Husted and Moreno had relentlessly lobbied him for the investment.

"They'd call. Sir, can we speak to you like two times? Three times a day. I said, these guys keep calling. What the hell? They wanted it. I gave it to you. I gave it to you. Just leave me alone now," the president recalled.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., invoked the Bible to condemn President Donald Trump during a Wednesday evening campaign rally, predicting Georgia voters would deliver a decisive rejection of the president and his party in next week's midterm elections.

"Each day. Donald Trump digs the moral pit deeper," Ossoff told supporters.

"But Pastor Brian, isn't it in Proverbs that says whoever digs a pit. Whoever digs a pit will fall into it?" he continued, referencing a Biblical warning about those who set traps for others.

Ossoff accused Trump of "depravity" while praising Democrat supporters for organizing protests and rallies across Georgia over the past year.

"In Georgia over the last year, in defiance of his depravity, we've marched together in protest, and we've gathered at rallies like this one that just keeps getting bigger and bigger," Ossoff said.

The Democrat senator expressed confidence that his party would prevail on Election Day, touting its statewide voter turnout operation and support for gubernatorial candidate Keisha Lance Bottoms.

"In six days, we'll elect a medicaid expanding governor. Keisha Lance bottoms," Ossoff declared.

He concluded by accusing Trump of criminality and promising a political reckoning at the ballot box.

"And in six days, Georgia will rebuke the crook President Donald Trump with such clarity and power that no president will dare such abuses of power," Ossoff said.

It was raining hats in Ohio on Wednesday as President Donald Trump and Republican Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno each took turns tossing campaign caps to cheering supporters during separate appearances throughout the day.

Trump capped off the festivities at his evening rally in Chillicothe, Ohio, sending white baseball caps sailing into the crowd as enthusiastic supporters cheered and reached to catch the presidential souvenirs.

The president's playful moment followed similar scenes earlier Wednesday, when Husted and Moreno separately tossed hats to supporters in the crowd.

The lighthearted displays added a dose of fun to an otherwise intense final week of campaigning, with Republicans making a last-minute push to energize voters ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections.

Trump's evening appearance at the Shoemaker Center on Ohio University Chillicothe's campus marked his third visit to the state this month.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, condemned an alleged Democrat ballot-stacking scheme in her state's Senate race Wednesday, accusing Democrat nominee Mary Peltola's campaign of a "pattern of lies and coverups" amid growing scrutiny of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan.

"While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process," Murkowski wrote on X.

"Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments," she continued. "By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong."

The remarks follow a New York Times report detailing discussions among Democrat operatives about recruiting spoiler candidates, including Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose name closely resembles that of incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.

Murkowski demanded greater transparency from Peltola and her campaign.

"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 wrote.

The fiancé of Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens says he will vote for Republican Mike Rogers in Michigan's Senate race, breaking with his future wife's party over concerns about Democrat nominee Abdul El-Sayed's rhetoric on Israel and antisemitism.

Jason Turkish, a Jewish Democrat donor and civil rights attorney, told The Detroit News on Wednesday that he had become convinced El-Sayed's rhetoric was endangering Michigan's Jewish community.

"I’ve just seen an escalation in his rhetoric since the primary, and it makes folks unsafe. Every time he talks about genocide (in Gaza), Jews get death threats," Turkish told the outlet.

Turkish described his decision to support Rogers as "putting country before party."

Stevens, who lost the August Democratic primary to El-Sayed, endorsed her former rival after the election but has not publicly campaigned alongside him since shortly after the primary, according to The Detroit News.

Asked about Turkish's decision following a campaign rally in Wyandotte, Michigan, El-Sayed defended his campaign's focus on opposing President Donald Trump.

"If folks have issues that are more important to them than that, that's fine. That's their choice," El-Sayed told reporters.

"There are always going to be some folks who have different opinions, and they're welcome to that. That's the beauty of democracy," he added.

The Democrat nominee reiterated his opposition to funding foreign militaries, saying his position extends beyond Israel to other countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Turkish told The Detroit News that although he disagrees with Rogers on numerous policy issues, his concerns about Jewish safety ultimately outweighed those differences.

"I'm going to vote for Mike Rogers. That's the highest measure of the support I can give somebody is my vote, and that's what I intend to do. But this is not a decision I ever thought I would have to make," Turkish said.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent trip to Wisconsin to stump for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley shows his campaign is struggling to rally voters, according to his Republican opponent, Rep. Tom Tiffany.

Harris arrived in the key battleground state Monday to campaign alongside Crowley in Milwaukee just eight days before Election Day.

"For the last year and a half, I know many of us have been going through a whole lot of emotion: anger, sadness, disappointment, destruction, depression, all kinds of emotions," Harris told supporters at Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel. 

"And we've been feeling powerless. People have been feeling like, ‘I can't do anything about this.’ And I know how much pain people are in. I know how it is creating so much fear among so many communities of people."

Tiffany asserted that Harris was brought in to energize a Democratic base where Crowley’s campaign has lagged amid a sense of national political fatigue caused by polarization and endless campaign messaging.

"This is clearly a move that says that they're struggling to get their base to vote. David Crowley has not excited the base," Tiffany told Fox News Digital.

Critics and political opponents have accused Crowley of being handpicked by Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers, as a centrist alternative to more progressive candidates such as state Rep. Francesca Hong, whom Crowley narrowly defeated in the primary.

The critique echoes challenges Harris faced during her own presidential bid.

"It was, once again, the Democrats that pulled somebody off the bench," Tiffany said. "They handpicked them rather than letting democracy work in their own party, and there's people very frustrated with that. They're trying to excite their base, and it's a problem for them."

Tiffany has framed himself as a commonsense candidate while targeting Crowley, the current Milwaukee County executive, over local economic conditions.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano.

President Donald Trump called Wednesday for Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola to withdraw from Alaska's Senate race and face criminal prosecution over an alleged scheme to place a second candidate named Dan Sullivan on the ballot, escalating his accusations during an underwing gaggle and a series of Truth Social posts.

"Oh, it's terrible what's happened in Alaska," Trump told reporters. "So they said they didn't do this, and it turned out they did. The New York Times just released, actually, an incredible story on it."

"They created a fake candidate. They took a candidate named Dan Sullivan, to run against another candidate who's a great senator named Dan Sullivan in order to cheat in the election," the president continued.

Trump accused Democrats of misleading the public about their involvement and demanded consequences for Peltola.

"Mary Peltola should resign from the race. I think she should be prosecuted criminally for what she did," Trump said.

The president also accused individuals involved in the alleged scheme of making false sworn statements.

"This guy, Dan Sullivan, just ran against Dan Sullivan. It turned out it was a scheme by the Democrats. That's what they do best. They cheat. They have bad policy, but they cheat," Trump said.

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump went further, calling for both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to face prosecution.

"This is Voter Fraud at the Highest Level, and the Dumocrat Candidate, who was involved in the scheme, Mary Peltola, should be removed from the Ballot and prosecuted — So should the FAKE Dan Sullivan. Nothing else will do!" Trump wrote.

The accusations follow a New York Times report detailing discussions involving Democrat operatives about recruiting additional candidates, including another Dan Sullivan, who could potentially draw votes away from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.

Peltola's campaign has denied involvement, telling Fox News that it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also denied recruiting the second Sullivan.

Trump separately urged Alaska voters to distinguish between the two candidates, issuing a lengthy endorsement of the incumbent Republican senator.

"The Dumocrats are trying to steal this Race by putting a FAKE Daniel J. Sullivan, Jr. on the Ballot. People will not be able to figure it out, and many Votes will be lost," Trump wrote.

"SULLIVAN, DAN S. (REGISTERED REPUBLICAN) INCUMBENT" has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election — HE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN!" Trump wrote.

Trump-endorsed Alaska gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson criticized the state's ranked-choice voting system Wednesday, arguing that it allows political operatives to manipulate elections by backing candidates they have no intention of supporting.

"Because Ranked Choice Voting allows the top four to go on, you now have political parties, special interest groups, that are funding a candidate who they don't even support," Wilson said in an interview with Fox News Digital.

"They're holding them up, they're manipulating this system, because they know that if they can shave off 2%, 3%, maybe it's 5%," she added, arguing that even a small shift in votes could benefit a rival candidate.

Wilson's criticism comes amid controversy surrounding Alaska's Senate race, where a second candidate named Dan J. Sullivan is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola.

The New York Times reported that Democratic operatives discussed recruiting candidates to potentially draw votes away from the Republican incumbent. Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have denied involvement in recruiting the second Sullivan.

"It definitely appears as though it is quite fraudulent behavior. It is very much deceiving," Wilson said.

Fox News Digital's Pedro B. Rodriguez contributed to this reporting.

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., blasted Democrats Wednesday over an alleged effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan in Alaska's Senate race, warning that political "dirty tricks" extend far beyond the state.

"I'm thankful that President Trump decided to sue, making sure that they knew, Alaskans knew, that there was a fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot recruited by the other side," Scott, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Martha MacCallum on "The Story."

"He wanted to expose the dirty tricks in advance of the election."

Scott acknowledged that Republicans had previously lost a state court challenge seeking to keep the second Sullivan off the ballot.

"But what I can tell you is that these dirty tricks, by they way, Martha, they're nationwide," Scott said, pivoting to criticism of Democrat Senate candidates James Talarico in Texas and Annie Andrews in South Carolina.

MacCallum pushed back on his broader argument, noting that politicians changing their positions is not inherently illegal.

Scott also outlined his preferred ranked-choice voting strategy for Alaska, urging Republicans to rank incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan first and leave Democrat challenger Mary Peltola unranked.

LUBBOCK, Texas — Supporters at Democrat James Talarico’s rally Tuesday said President Donald Trump’s appearance across town with Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton showed the GOP was worried about losing ground in Texas.

“Trump’s in Lubbock? Trump’s in Lubbock, Texas? He’s scared, he is scared,” one supporter told Fox News Digital.

Natalie also viewed the same-day rallies as a sign of Republican discomfort.

“I think they have to be nervous, and I think it’s performative, like to come the exact same day as he [Talarico] is here,” she said.

Lubbock resident Elias said Paxton’s reliance on Trump reflected poorly on the Republican candidate, pointing to Paxton’s past controversies and impeachment by the Texas House.

“I think it shows that Paxton is a weak leader,” Elias said. “He had a chance to kind of redeem himself despite his ugly past, but he’s not a man, he can’t stand up for himself. He needs daddy Trump to come and support him.”

Other Talarico supporters said they believe Texas could turn blue. “This is the year that we flip blue,” Lubbock resident Paloma said.

LUBBOCK, Texas — Outside President Donald Trump’s rally Tuesday with Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton, voters predicted Texas would “stay red.”

Jenny, who traveled from Brownsville, dismissed the idea that the race was close.

“What else do the Democrats have? They have Talarico going against Paxton,” she told Fox News Digital.

“All they’ve got is the ability to try and make people think that it’s close and there is no point in voting.”

“No, it’s not close,” Jenny added. “Paxton is going to wipe the floor with him.” Erick, a Lubbock voter, said Democratic policies do not align with his views and predicted Texas would remain Republican.

“Texas is going to stay red, absolutely,” he said.

Lisa also from Lubbock said the election will be a 'landslide' for Republicans.

The second Dan Sullivan running for U.S. Senate in Alaska quietly changed his voter registration from Republican to undeclared ahead of the November election, according to a report from the Alaska Beacon.

Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., whose candidacy has sparked controversy over potential voter confusion with incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, made the switch while requesting an absentee ballot for the August primary, according to state election records obtained by the outlet.

The candidate initially denied requesting the change but acknowledged it after the Alaska Division of Elections produced his signed form.

"holy cow … I did!" Sullivan told the Alaska Beacon. "I can only guess I was thinking that since they didn’t affiliate me on the ballot, I should go with that, but to be honest with you, I am frazzled by all of this."

Supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in Chillicothe, Ohio, Wednesday ahead of his campaign rally, expressing confidence in Republicans' midterm prospects while raising concerns about the economy.

Fox News spoke with voters outside the Shoemaker Center, where some expressed frustration with rising costs just six days before Election Day.

"Well, right now it's not real bad, but I do know it's getting worse," voter Clara Adams said of the economy. "The longer you know that the war goes on, the harder it's getting."

Other supporters remained optimistic about November's results.

"I think it's going to be just a total red wave," Chris Allen of Grove City told Fox News.

Ohio voter McKenzie Adams said she hoped to hear Trump's vision for the Republican Party's future, including whether Vice President JD Vance might seek the presidency.

Fox News' Mark Meredith contributed to this reporting.

Fox News' Mark Meredith contributed to this reporting.

Nearly 200 House Democrats are moving to shield Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from further investigation after federal investigators raided her Washington, D.C., home earlier this month.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., led 175 members of the House Democratic Caucus in a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche, criticizing the probe into Omar's immigration history as a partisan attack and accusing them of trying to sway her bid for another term in Congress.

"Congresswoman Omar is seeking reelection in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district in just one week. News of the search warrant, whether properly predicated or not, could affect voters’ decisions, which is exactly why federal law enforcement should not engage in such conduct when voters are casting their ballots. This type of interference strips Minnesotans of their right to a free and fair election guaranteed to them under the Constitution," the letter said.

"We stand with Congresswoman Omar and condemn the weaponization of law enforcement against her. You have already disgraced the offices you hold, and we demand you refrain from taking any further actions that could affect the outcome of the upcoming election."

Omar, D-Minn., is under federal investigation over allegations she or her father lied about her birth year on immigration paperwork to obtain her citizenship when her family fled Somalia in the late 1990s. If she was 17 when her father obtained citizenship, as previously thought, she would have automatically qualified along with him. If she was 18 or older, which federal officials now suspect, she would have had to make her own application.

Her fellow House Democrats recounted the allegations in their letter, saying, "Your probe into the congresswoman reportedly concerns her late father’s filing of immigration paperwork after she fled Somalia’s civil war at age eight, making her a U.S. citizen at age seventeen."

But they argued it does not justify "a pre-dawn raid on her home for paperwork her father filed when she was a minor."

Federal agents executed a judicially authorized search warrant on Omar's home on Oct. 12, seizing multiple phones and notebooks, among other items.

This is an excerpt of an article by Fox News Digital's Liz Elkind.

Alaskans for Dan Sullivan, the campaign for incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, is calling out "Mary Peltola’s coordinated scheme to deceive Alaska voters."

"Alaskans deserve to know the truth," Nate Adams, spokesperson for Alaskans for Dan Sullivan, wrote in a statement Wednesday. "Mary Peltola, her campaign, and her senior advisors colluded with the DSCC, national Democrat lawyers, and Alaska Democrat operatives to recruit a candidate to deliberately deceive and confuse voters, and then repeatedly lied about it.

"Not one player in this operation has acted in good faith with Alaska voters. Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along.

"We always knew this was a concerted effort to deceive voters, and Mary Peltola was hoping it would stay hidden until after the election."

The Justice Department blasted Virginia Democratic Attorney General Jay Jones' Election Day guidance as "bluster and political posturing," pushing back against his 10-page directive advising local election officials to call police when federal agents approach polling places and to document their activities.

The Oct. 15 bulletin, jointly issued by Jones' office and the Virginia Department of Elections, outlines how officials should respond to federal agents, scrutinize requests from DOJ election monitors and prepare for potential federal demands for ballots and voting equipment.

The dispute comes as conservative litigation firm America First Legal pursues records concerning the state's warnings about potential federal election interference, which Fox News Digital has learned.

This is an excerpt from Fox News Digital's Charles Creitz report.