The hosts of ABC’s “The View” are calling out Alaska Democrats over an alleged election scheme involving two Senate candidates with the same name, with Whoopi Goldberg branding the tactic “sloppy and dumb.”
The controversy centers on reports that individuals connected to Alaska Democrats recruited another man named Dan Sullivan to enter the Senate race, potentially confusing voters trying to support incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
Democratic nominee Mary Peltola reportedly knew about the effort beforehand, although her campaign has denied participating in the alleged scheme.
The tactic has drawn criticism from several members of the daytime show’s panel, who warned that it could ultimately hurt Democrats.
‘NYT’ REPORTS PELTOLA CAMPAIGN RECRUITED SAME-NAME CANDIDATE: ‘The View’ co-hosts react to a report claiming Alaska Democrats tried to confuse Republican voters by putting a duplicate Dan Sullivan on the ballot as the Democratic candidate denies the claim. pic.twitter.com/gAruHoC3fU
— The View (@TheView) October 29, 2026
Goldberg described the reported maneuver as “a shady tactic” during Thursday’s broadcast, while Joy Behar called it a mistake regardless of which political party employed it.
“I mean, it’s done on both sides. It was done back in the day by the Republicans. They did it,” Behar told her co-hosts. “And, also, I don’t know, it just seems like a lousy, low-level trick.”
Behar also invoked Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results, referring to his request to find 11,780 votes in Georgia.
🎓Support Defending Education’s mission to expose political agendas in America’s classrooms and restore quality education for all! 🎓 Help protect students and strengthen education nationwide ➡️➡️➡️ DONATE TODAY!!! 🇺🇸
“This is politics. And it was dumb of the Democrats,” she added.
Alyssa Farah Griffin was equally critical, arguing that candidates should compete on their qualifications rather than resort to tactics designed to confuse voters.
“It stinks to high heaven,” Griffin remarked. “I just believe candidates should win on their merits, not through shady tactics.”
Griffin pointed to political strategies employed by Republicans, including a controversial advertisement involving Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio and redistricting efforts in Texas, as examples of maneuvers she believed had backfired.
Although she doubted the second Sullivan would significantly affect the Alaska election, Griffin worried that the allegations could give Trump another opportunity to challenge election results.
“What it does, too, we know that Donald Trump has already telegraphed he wants to challenge the election results,” she said. “This is absolutely going to show up in one of these lawsuits afterwards if Peltola wins.”
Sunny Hostin noted that Alaska’s election laws did not prohibit another candidate from appearing on the ballot simply because he shared an opponent’s name.
Goldberg remained concerned that the controversy would damage Peltola’s chances, criticizing the reported strategy as both unnecessary and poorly conceived.
The panel’s criticism of Alaska Democrats came after a separate discussion in which the hosts defended Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over questions about his family’s alleged connections to the Muslim Brotherhood.
El-Sayed had compared the scrutiny to questions former President John F. Kennedy faced about his Catholic faith during an appearance on “MS NOW Reports.”
At a recent town hall, El-Sayed disavowed the Muslim Brotherhood when questioned about the organization but objected to what he considered an assumption that he might hold divided loyalties.
Goldberg supported his response, pointing to the religious scrutiny Kennedy encountered while campaigning for president.
EL-SAYED ASKED IF HE'LL DISAVOW THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed fielded a controversial question from an audience member during a Michigan town hall this weekend — 'The View' weighs in. pic.twitter.com/LeQpYaPU4G
— The View (@TheView) October 19, 2026
“I liked what he said. He compared the question he received to John F. Kennedy’s question because John F. Kennedy, as you know, was a Catholic,” Goldberg explained.
Hostin also praised the comparison, arguing that El-Sayed should not have to defend his loyalty to the United States because he is Muslim. “I think he does politics extremely well,” Hostin said.
She criticized what she described as Islamophobic attacks surrounding his candidacy, including Trump’s characterization of El-Sayed as a “jihadist.”
However, Griffin and Sara Haines raised objections to treating every question about the Muslim Brotherhood as religious prejudice.
Griffin acknowledged that El-Sayed had quickly disavowed the organization but questioned his response to an antisemitic terrorist attack in Michigan and his past association with streamer Hasan Piker.
Haines drew a distinction between questioning a candidate’s loyalty based solely on religion and asking about reported family connections to a political organization.
“The comparison to JFK isn’t quite an equitable comparison, because when you question his loyalty based on his Catholicism, that’s different than asking a question about reported ties to a terrorist organization,” Haines argued.
The allegations concern El-Sayed’s family rather than evidence of his personal involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Ana Navarro dismissed the controversy, suggesting the organization was no longer particularly relevant in Egypt.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is practically defunct in Egypt. That’s like asking him to denounce bell-bottoms,” Navarro said.
The show’s political discussions have also included a surprising invitation from Behar to her longtime adversary, President Trump.
During an interview with New York Magazine, Behar said she would welcome the president back to “The View,” despite years of public disagreements. “I’d love Donald Trump to take the heat,” she told the publication.
Behar also speculated about Trump’s health, remarking, “You know Trump is not long for this world. He seems ill. He does not seem like he’s well.”
Earlier in October, the panel turned its attention to Texas, where Hostin predicted that Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico would defeat Republican Ken Paxton.
“I think we will. I think we will see Texas go blue, actually. I really do,” Hostin declared.
She cited September polling that placed Talarico ahead of Paxton by six points, along with stronger numbers among women, younger voters and Hispanic voters.
Hostin noted that Democrats had not won a statewide Texas office in approximately three decades.
“We’re talking about Texas. He’s going to win this race,” she predicted.
Griffin was more cautious about the outcome, suggesting that either candidate could prevail. She nevertheless argued that the race reflected frustration with Trump’s administration.
“I still think it could go either direction for Paxton or Talarico, but this is kind of a perfect storm, and it’s a mess of the president’s own making,” Griffin said.
She also suggested that Republican Sen. John Cornyn would have been a more competitive candidate than Paxton, who defeated him in the GOP primary with Trump’s endorsement.