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Trump calls midterms ‘crooked’, demands Alaska votes go to Republican candidate
Donald Trump called US elections “crooked” and demanded that votes for two minor candidates in Alaska’s unresolved Senate race be transferred to Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. His claims came after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress in a sweeping midterm defeat for Trump and his party, sharpening the political stakes around the result.
Democrats were set to hold at least 54 Senate seats, while Republicans had 44, and their House majority had passed 250 seats. In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom led incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,724 votes, with a small number of ballots still to count; a win would make him the state’s first Democratic senator since 1982. Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola had 48.2 per cent against Sullivan’s 47.9 per cent, while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned that Republican losses could deepen if Trump vetoes legislation aimed at lowering costs.
In short
- Trump disputes election integrity after a sweeping Democratic midterm win.
- Alaska’s Senate race remains close, with Peltola narrowly ahead.
- Democrat Scott Colom leads in Mississippi by 1,724 votes.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A close, unresolved race can warrant scrutiny, and election officials should verify that every ballot is counted and handled under the rules. Supporters of Sullivan could argue that any lawful process for reallocating votes from minor candidates should be applied consistently if those candidates’ voters expressed a preference for him.
The case against
Votes belong to the candidates chosen by voters, so transferring them to Sullivan without a lawful basis would undermine voter intent and the legitimacy of the result. Calling elections “crooked” without evidence risks eroding trust, while the reported narrow margins make careful counting—not partisan demands—especially important.
Americas Elections Government Politics World