News 498K views since yesterday

Psaki examines Republican-backed candidates in Alaska ballot dispute

MS NOW's analysis pairs Trump's demand to remove Mary Peltola with an election expert's assessment of who can certify and seat a senator.

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MS NOW Story of November 1, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of MS NOW's most watched videos since yesterday, with 498,276 views.

Trump's bad faith Alaska uproar exposed in record of GOP-backed ballot stacking

Things we can learn from the video

Press to jump

0:00Psaki outlines Trump's demand to remove Peltola from the ballot and the Justice Department's legal intervention.
1:14Fair Deal Alaska advertisements promote Richard Grayson and Carol Hafner, whom Psaki describes as potential spoiler candidates.
2:45Psaki reports that both candidates live outside Alaska and traces the super PAC's Republican financial connections.
7:20Dunleavy's interview raises the question of whether a Peltola victory would be certified.
9:26Becker disputes the lawsuit's legal merit and explains state election powers and the Senate's authority over its membership.
12:19Becker expects certification to proceed, noting Alaska's lieutenant governor oversees elections and remote ballot counting takes time.

Republican complaints about Alaska's Senate ballot leave out Republican-backed efforts to promote other candidates, Jen Psaki argues in an MS NOW segment examining the dispute and its potential consequences for election certification.

The controversy follows New York Times reporting that Democrats helped recruit a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. According to Psaki's report, Donald Trump has demanded that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola be removed from the ballot, while the Justice Department has sought court intervention over the election result.

Psaki turns to television and print advertisements from the super PAC Fair Deal Alaska promoting Richard Grayson and Carol Hafner. She reports that neither lives in Alaska and traces the group's financial connections to Republican donors and the Senate Leadership Fund. Her argument is that promoting potential spoiler candidates is not a tactic confined to Democrats, citing examples beyond Alaska as well.

The segment then moves from campaigning to counting. It shows Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy's NewsNation interview, which Psaki presents as raising doubts about whether he would certify a Peltola victory.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research, disputes the legal basis for the Justice Department's lawsuit. He explains the state's role in running and certifying elections, alongside the Senate's constitutional authority to judge who takes its seats.

The video drew about half a million views since yesterday. Becker's closing distinction is between delay and obstruction: he expects Alaska's certification to proceed and says counting ballots from remote communities should take days.