Trump-Endorsed Senator Caught Cheating Off Opponent

In a campaign filled with wild happenings, Saturday’s was one for the books.

A Republican senator from Alaska was caught visibly cribbing an answer from his opponent in a debate.

The wild choice to blatantly cheat in front of a debate crowd was made by Trump-endorsed Sen. Dan Sullivan on Saturday.

Sullivan was facing off against former Rep. Mary Peltola, who is running against him for the Democrats, at a debate in Kodiak, Alaska, centered on the state’s fishing industry.

In a lightning round, the candidates were given paddles to signal yes-or-no answers. But Sullivan got distracted shuffling paper and looking down and appeared to miss a question.

The question, “Do the North Pacific Fishery Management Council and NOAA Fisheries adequately consider impacts on subsistence users, salmon migration, habitat, and Indigenous ways of life?” went unanswered by Sullivan as Peltola quickly raised her paddle to signify “No.

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Sullivan still didn’t bite.

“Senator Sullivan, yes or no?” a moderator prompted him.

Sullivan then scrambled to catch up with the action around him, dropping his papers and looking up. Then he turned to Peltola and not too subtly looked at her paddle.

Democratic former U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, a candidate in the upcoming U.S. Senate election, reacts at a forum during the Alaska Oil & Gas Association (AOGA) annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska, U.S., August 27, 2026. REUTERS/Kerry Tasker

Mary Peltola is running against Dan S. Sullivan for the Senate.

Reaching for his own, he raised it in kind, turning it to display “No.”

The incredulous crowd laughed as Sullivan said “sorry” and smiled sheepishly.

Posting the clip of the incident to her X account, Peltola captioned it: “Happy to help, Dan.”

“Alaskans deserve a senator who knows where they stand,” Peltola added.

Sullivan’s campaign has also faced controversy over another man named Dan Sullivan appearing on the ballot.

The two-term senator Dan S. Sullivan is seeking another term, but voters will also see Dan J. Sullivan, a retired fifth-grade teacher and self-described “moderate Republican,” on the ballot.

In Alaska, the top four candidates in the open primary advance to the general. “After Peltola won the primary with almost 50 percent, the other Democratic candidate dropped out, leaving three Republicans—two named Dan Sullivan—to fight it out against her.

President Donald Trump and former Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan have both endorsed the incumbent, who failed to have Dan J. Sullivan blocked from running in the first place.

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