Representative Jamie Raskin defended the ballot procedures surrounding Alaska’s Senate race and expressed strong confidence in Democratic performance in the upcoming midterm elections during a Sunday television appearance, while also addressing internal party tensions in Michigan and ongoing federal challenges to election administration.
Appearing on NBC’s *Meet the Press*, the Maryland Democrat responded to a *New York Times* report alleging that aides to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola directed a staffer to identify multiple Alaska residents named Dan Sullivan for recruitment into the race. Republican incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan is currently seeking reelection in the state.
Peltola and her campaign have denied any involvement in the recruitment effort, and a former campaign manager who initially corroborated the account subsequently retracted her statements.
“I’m sure I would never do it. It’s stupid politics. Nobody would do that,” Raskin stated when asked whether the maneuver constituted an ethical violation.
Raskin further noted that ballot regulations throughout the country permit candidates who share the same name to seek office, adding that Alaska election officials explicitly labeled the Republican senator on the ballot in order to prevent voter confusion.
“That’s the law across America,” Raskin said. “There are people who have the same name who are running in all 50 states. That happens all over the place. And nowhere is there a law which says, ‘If you have the same name as somebody who got on the ballot first, you can’t get on the ballot.'”
He also dismissed criticism from former President Donald Trump regarding the terminology used on Alaska’s ballots. “Donald Trump says people don’t know the word incumbent. He should speak for himself, because the vast majority of Americans obviously do,” Raskin said.
Shifting his attention to voting integrity at the national level amid Justice Department legal challenges to mail-in voting and voter rolls, Raskin argued that federal officials should refrain from interfering in local election processes. A federal judge on Friday issued an order barring the administration from intimidating state or local election workers.
“If the federal government stays out of it and lets the state government authorities actually run the election, the way that we always have, we will have free and fair elections,” Raskin said.
When asked directly whether Democrats would accept the results should Republicans win control of Congress, Raskin referenced previous election cycles as evidence of his party’s commitment to democratic norms.
“In 2024, we accepted it. So we accept the rule of law, and they are the ones who are constantly violating it,” Raskin said.
Raskin also minimized recent tensions in Michigan between Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed and primary rival Representative Haley Stevens over campaign messaging and Middle East policy. He indicated that he had spoken with both individuals the previous evening and anticipated strong party unity at the polls on Tuesday.
“My wonderful friend Haley Stevens wants me to represent to you and everybody else I talk to that she is voting straight down the line on the Democratic ticket, and she’s going to be celebrating with Democrats across the country when we win on Tuesday night,” Raskin said, characterizing the dispute as an “inside the Beltway, inside baseball imbroglio.”
Should Democrats reclaim the House majority, Raskin stands to assume the chairmanship of the House Judiciary Committee. When asked how potential preemptive pardons issued by Trump might affect planned oversight efforts, Raskin clarified that presidential pardons apply exclusively to federal criminal offenses, leaving civil and state-level investigations fully intact.
“Our recommendation would be, it seems ridiculous that we have to say it, is everybody should follow the law,” Raskin said, referencing disciplinary actions previously taken against attorneys affiliated with Trump.
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