President Donald Trump will campaign for incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska ahead of a tense midterm battle for control of the U.S. Senate.
Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday he would appear in Alaska to support incumbent U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan as he makes stops around the country ahead of the November elections.
“I will go to Alaska to make sure that a great senator gets reeelcted,” Trump said. “I’m going to be going the last 30 days before the election.”
Sullivan is locked in a tight race against a popular Democratic candidate and two other Republicans, one of which shares his name. Dan J. Sullivan, a former teacher, came in third in Alaska’s primary election.
In Alaska, the top four vote getters advance to the general election. Democrat David Leslie came in fourth but withdrew from the race, leaving fifth place candidate Gerald Heikes, a Republican, on the ballot.
With three Republicans on the ballot, the chances of splitting the vote could damage Sen. Dan Sullivan’s reelection bid. Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman from Alaska, is the sole Democrat in the race.
Trump said Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy is a “disgrace” and evidence that Democrats are attempting to confuse voters who go to the polls.
“We have a very good senator named Dan Sullivan, the Democrats put up another man named Dan Sullivan,” Trump said. “So we have two Dan Sullivans.”
Dan J. Sullivan has refuted claims that his candidacy is an attempt to confuse voters at the polls. A federal investigation is pending on the matter.
Peltola has focused her campaign on fighting for Alaska fisheries, bringing more oil refineries to the state to lower gas prices and eliminating federal income taxes for working and middle-class Alaskan residents earning less than $92,000 per year.
“It shouldn’t be this hard to get by in Alaska, and when I’m in the U.S. Senate, I’m going to fight to make life affordable for hardworking Alaska families,” Peltola said.
Trump touted his success in expanding oil pipelines and refineries throughout Alaska. He said oil companies across the world are investing in pipelines throughout the state.
“Nobody has helped Alaska like Donald Trump: we’ve invested billions and billions of dollars and created trillions of dollars in value,” Trump said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan has focused his campaign on supporting the Trump administration and regulating the kinds of gear that can be used in Alaska’s fisheries. He voted in favor of the SAVE America Act, unlike his Senate colleague Lisa Murkowski.
“I don’t think we have a big voter challenge in terms of cheating in Alaska, but for the country, there’s a place in the country where this is an important issue,” Sullivan said. “This is not focused on disenfranchising Alaska voters.”
Trump said his campaign for Sullivan will come alongside his support for other candidates across the country as Republicans seek to hold onto control of both chambers in Congress. Currently Republicans hold a 218-214 majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and a 53-45 majority in the U.S. Senate.
“We’re interested in the Senate and we’re interested in the House,” Trump said. “I’ll be campaigning for the House members and I’ll be campaigning for Senators.”
