Republicans seize on controversy in Alaska's closely watched Senate race

Geoff Bennett:

With Election Day just days away, the battle for control of the U.S. Senate is intensifying, and so are allegations of political dirty tricks. Alaska's governor has ordered an investigation into Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign over reports it recruited a spoiler candidate to siphon votes from Republicans.

Meantime, President Trump is campaigning in South Carolina, another Republican stronghold where his endorsed candidate is struggling.

Our Liz Landers has more.

President Donald Trump:

Thank you.

Liz Landers:

President Trump rallying for his handpicked Senate candidate today in a state he won by nearly 20 points in the last presidential election.

President Donald Trump:

And five days from now, we're going to elect Darline Graham to the United States Senate.

(CHEERING)

Liz Landers:

The president attacking Graham's opponent, Dr. Annie Andrews, with a false slur.

President Donald Trump:

But we can't have tranny Annie. If you have one or two victories, you're going to have communists in control of the U.S. Senate. The reason is that the other Democrats, there aren't too many sane ones to start off with, I will be honest. Most of them are horrible. Their policy is so bad.

Liz Landers:

Graham's bid to succeed her late brother for a full term may be on shaky ground, a recent New York Times/Siena poll showing her race against Andrews in a dead heat. That's evident on the ground at early voting sites, where even Republicans are fed up with the affordability crisis and the war in Iran.

Brent Chaplin, South Carolina Voter:

Most people would get fired. You would get fired from your job if you don't perform. So it's time to -- like Donald Trump says, you're fired. It's time to fire some people.

Jaime Walker, South Carolina Voter:

Do I love the current administration and everything they do? I like a lot of things, but there's some things I don't like. However, for me, voting is more like against the other -- the other party.

Liz Landers:

En route to the Palmetto State, the president continued to question how officials are administering the election in another state, Alaska.

President Donald Trump:

It's called voter fraud. Should not have been allowed to happen.

Liz Landers:

A New York Times investigation found that the campaign of the Democratic candidate, Mary Peltola, recruited a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan to run against the incumbent Republican, Dan S. Sullivan. Trump suggested Peltola should be criminally charged.

President Donald Trump:

It's hard to believe that she could even be allowed to run.

Liz Landers:

For her part, Peltola called the story a distraction.

Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK), Senatorial Candidate: It's another diversion. Every day it's some new look over here moment, not Dan Sullivan, registered Republican, incumbent, voted for this war in Iran 14 times.

Liz Landers:

Dan S. Sullivan, the incumbent senator, also weighing in by phone this afternoon.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK):

To the Alaskan people, don't let your ballot be thrown away. Don't let the dirty tricks of Peltola and her campaign trick you.

Liz Landers:

Alaska's governor now ordering an investigation into whether Peltola's campaign violated Alaska's laws. The Department of Justice already filed a lawsuit late last week, preemptively asking that the results of the Alaska Senate race not be certified if the Democrat wins.

Last night, former President Obama used his star power in Georgia to rally for Democrats Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms. While Ossoff appears to be in a comfortable lead in the race to keep his Senate seat, polls show Bottoms neck and neck with her opponent, Rick Jackson, in the race for governor. If she wins, Bottoms would be the first black Woman governor in U.S. history.

Barack Obama:

I heard the president was not happy.

Liz Landers:

The former president also addressed a joke he made over the weekend that President Trump's renovations make the White House look like a Cheesecake Factory.

Barack Obama:

They mobilize a whole-of-government response to that joke.

(LAUGHTER)

Barack Obama:

Not to inflation, but to that joke. They don't have solutions to actual problems. So they'd rather have the media and you talking about the Cheesecake Factory.

Liz Landers:

Outside the rally...

Woman:

No insult to Cheesecake Factory, because I do like them.

Liz Landers:

... attendees said that, while they love the restaurant, they understand that the former president's joke gets at a larger issue.

Darlene Webb, Georgia Voter:

The rule of law does not apply to the Republican Party for some reason at this time. So I just want to make sure that we're out here trying to change and put good people in office that's going to support the people and not just their pockets.

Liz Landers:

The rule of law exercised last night in California, where a district judge denied the federal government's request to stop the processing of 20,000 ballots that they alleged were sent to noncitizens.

The judge calling it an attempt to -- quote -- "coerce a state and local government to abandon their own constitutional elections procedures."

The Justice Department also declared in a late filing Wednesday night that it would not send FBI or ICE agents or employees to serve as poll monitors. President Trump will continue his midterm blitz tomorrow with a rally in Florida.

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Liz Landers.