---
title: "\"Trickery\""
---

Peltola campaign faces growing firestorm. ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­    ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

| View in browser October 29, 2026 Good Thursday evening. In this edition: Fallout continues over Peltola campaign's alleged involvement in spoiler candidate scheme. Plus, California ballots, Kansas cancellation and attacks on El-Sayed. Peltola Campaign The fallout continues from a New York Times report that members of Alaska U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign were involved in efforts to recruit a spoiler candidate, with President Trump calling it "voter fraud" and Alaska's governor ordering an investigation. "This is voter fraud at the highest level," the president said at a rally in South Carolina. "I think it's a criminal act, what they did." Earlier in the day, President Trump was asked whether Ms. Peltola should be seated in the Senate if she wins the election. "Well, you're going to have to see what happens," he said. "It's hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run. Frankly, I don't know how you could allow somebody like that to run. It's so unfair." The New York Times reported Wednesday that members of Ms. Peltola's campaign were involved in efforts to recruit another "Dan Sullivan" to enter the race in hopes of drawing votes away from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). Her campaign has denied any involvement, telling the Times, "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race." Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) ordered an investigation into whether the recruitment effort violated state election laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted. "Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections," he said in a post on X. "Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable." The Justice Department has also intensified its months-long criminal investigation into the alleged recruitment effort, issuing dozens of new grand jury subpoenas and records-preservation notices. Federal prosecutors had already issued grand jury subpoenas and interviewed witnesses before Wednesday's report. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, said his panel would also investigate the matter. "Knowing they can't win on the issues, Democrats schemed to rig the U.S. Senate election in Alaska by deliberately confusing voters," he said in a statement. "This is part of a broader pattern of misconduct by today's Democrat Party." The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have denied any involvement. "Leader Schumer had no knowledge of the activities described in the New York Times report and was not involved in any way," a Schumer spokesperson told CNN. Donna Brazile, a former DNC chair, told C-SPAN she wanted more information but called the allegations in the report "fishy." "I was astonished that they went, you know, to that degree of trickery to try to recruit somebody when, in fact, you didn't have to do that," she said on latest episode of C-SPAN's "Ceasefire," airing Friday. Ronna McDaniel, a former RNC chair, said it could be problematic if the DNC was involved in the effort and suggested the allegations could hurt Ms. Peltola's campaign in the final days before the election. "I mean, if she did it and she knew about it and she's lying, I definitely think this is not where she wants to close," she said. Ms. McDaniel also said the Justice Department's lawsuit filed last week, seeking to block certification of the results if Sen. Sullivan loses by fewer votes than the other Sullivan on the ballot receives, should be viewed in a new light following the Times report. "I think everybody who was saying the DOJ lawsuit was ridiculous, I think now is stepping back and going, after that New York Times report, 'we do need to look into this further,'" Ms. McDaniel said. Watch the remarks from President Trump and watch C-SPAN's "Ceasefire" on FRIDAY at 7pm ET. In other news… The Justice Department appealed a federal judge's ruling blocking its effort to compel California to separate 20,000 ballots it claims were sent to noncitizens, with President Trump blasting the decision and calling the state's elections "extremely corrupt." In a blistering ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge David Carter warned that preventing the ballots from being processed would "wreak havoc" on the elections and potentially disenfranchise thousands of legitimate voters. "Eroded trust in our democracy is irreparable. Once a vote is segregated, lasting harm has occurred," he wrote. "If the Executive can discount votes and threaten an ongoing election due to unproven allegations, then our democracy is in danger. This Court declines to be a party to such process." Hours later, the Justice Department appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, urging the court to rule as quickly as possible. "California is very corrupt. The elections are extremely corrupt," President Trump told reporters, claiming there were "millions" of "bad ballots" in the state. President Trump canceled a planned campaign rally Saturday in Salina, Kansas, where he was scheduled to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who faces a competitive reelection race against Democrat Adam Hamilton. "You know what the reason is? I don't feel I have to go to Kansas," the president told reporters, adding that Sen. Marshall was "doing really well." The White House said the president would instead hold more than 20 virtual rallies before Election Day, allowing him to reach voters in multiple states. The cancellation came as a CNN poll released Thursday showed Mr. Hamilton leading Sen. Marshall 49% to 45%, although the difference was within the poll's margin of error. President Trump previously campaigned for Sen. Marshall near Wichita on Oct. 19. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a "Toss Up." Retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) blasted Republicans' escalating attacks on U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) and his Muslim faith, calling them "despicable" and saying they have "no place" in America. "We are better than that as a country," he said at a campaign event with Mr. El-Sayed in Battle Creek. "We believe America is stronger when we are united, when we stand together. We are stronger when we believe everybody has a chance to have a voice and to represent this great country." Republicans have ramped up their attacks on Mr. El-Sayed in recent weeks, with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) recently calling him a "jihadist leprechaun" and alleging that his election would pose a national security risk and that "Americans will die as a result." For your radar… U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D-MI) and Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) speak at a campaign rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Thursday night. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN at 7:30pm ET. President Trump holds a midterm campaign rally in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Friday. Watch LIVE on C-SPAN2 at 7pm ET. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here C-SPAN is on YouTube. Subscribe today for live coverage, consequential moments, memorable exchanges and the political events everyone will be talking about. Full Schedule Copyright © 2026 C-SPAN, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in. C-SPAN, 400 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 155, Washington, DC 20001 Unsubscribe Manage preferences |
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