Trump campaigns in Wasilla for Sen. Dan Sullivan, calls rival a 'fake Sullivan' and urges repeal of ranked-choice voting

President Donald Trump traveled to Wasilla, Alaska, to campaign publicly for Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, telling the crowd and reporters that Democrats had put forward a candidate he called a "fake Sullivan" to confuse voters. Trump framed affordability — naming high gas and grocery prices — as a top voter concern, blamed the Biden administration for those costs, and said he has won Alaska three times and carried the state by 13.5 points in 2024. Trump repeatedly praised Senator Sullivan, saying they align on voting records "almost to 100%" and telling the audience that Sullivan opposes a diesel deal the president announced the previous week. At the same event Trump urged Alaskans to vote to repeal ranked-choice voting by supporting Ballot Measure 2, calling the system a "scam" and urging voters to "repeal rank choice." The Washington Examiner reported Trump described the practice as a Democratic tactic to pull votes away from the incumbent and said the elimination process in ranked choice led to reproportioned or exhausted ballots until a candidate cleared 50%. Local reporting and Gray Media interviews provided much of the on-the-record material: Gray Media's White House correspondent Jon Decker questioned Trump about the close Senate contest and recorded Trump's comments about his electoral history in Alaska and his reasons for campaigning. Multiple regional outlets covering the rally emphasized the same themes — the close contest in the 2026 midterm Senate race, the focus on affordability, and Trump's call to oppose ranked-choice voting — though some accounts gave additional local context about the durability of Sullivan's record and Democratic campaign messaging. The campaign appearance comes as Alaska's 2026 Senate contest is competitive, with local reporting noting that Democrat Mary Peltola is a challenger in a race Republicans view as unexpectedly tight. Peltola has told town halls that affordability remains the top issue for Alaska voters, a point other outlets covering the event also highlighted. Coverage differs in emphasis: outlets relying on the Gray Media interview foregrounded Trump's claims about vote totals and policy alignment with Sullivan, while the Washington Examiner highlighted Trump's specific appeal to repeal the state's ranked-choice system and his characterization of it as a partisan "scam."

What is confirmed in the reporting is Trump's public endorsement of Sullivan in Wasilla and his urging for a vote to repeal ranked-choice voting; claims about a coordinated Democratic effort to run a similarly named candidate and Trump's numerical assertions about past election margins were reported as his statements. Reporting does not provide independent verification of the claim that Democrats intentionally ran a "fake Sullivan" or of the effect of that claim on vote outcomes. The rallies and remarks underscore the national campaign's direct involvement in a single-seat statewide contest and show the president using both policy arguments — affordability and opposition to a diesel deal — and procedural appeals — repeal of ranked-choice voting — to influence turnout and ballot choices. Local outlets covering the event framed the appearance as part of broader Republican efforts to shore up seats in the 2026 midterm cycle, noting that even states Trump carried decisively in 2024 are contested this year.