The other Sullivan comes under the microscope

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Republicans call for Peltola investigation

Programming note : We’re Claire Leibowitz and Abigail Walker, filling in for Cate today. Please send us your tips, comments and story ideas to cleibowitz@thehill.com and awalker@thehill.com .

Mark Thiessen, Alex Brandon & Becky Bohrer; Associated Press

Backlash against Senate hopeful former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) is growing, with the president and GOP lawmakers demanding an investigation into allegations that she plotted with Senate Democrats to insert a spoiler candidate into the race.

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) on Wednesday night called for an investigation into Peltola and her campaign, pointing to reporting from The New York Times which found that Democrats secretly recruited a candidate with same name as Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) to boost their chances.

Peltola’s campaign denies the accusations .

“This is voter fraud at the highest level,” Trump said while rallying in Ohio Wednesday night. He later added, referring to Democrats, “That’s what they’re good at – cheating.”

“There’s no doubt that Mary Peltola has been, at least her campaign and the Democrat apparatus, they are involved in collusion,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich on Wednesday. “They’ve been colluding together in a coordinated effort to deceive the voters.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who had criticized the Department of Justice for its pre-emptive lawsuit over the double name, also joined in and called for “truth.”

“While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process,” the senator wrote in a statement to The Hill. “Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments.”

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) announced she’d remain in support of Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed , despite her fiancé’s public decision to vote for former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).

“Like a lot of households in America, we’re a household divided,” Stevens told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I still very much want our Democratic nominee, his name is Abdul, to win this race.”

El-Sayed narrowly beat Stevens in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary in August. Shortly after, Stevens put her support behind the progressive candidate.

Diverging opinions : In an interview published Wednesday, Stevens’s fiancé Jason Turkish said he’d back Rogers and cited what he felt was antisemitic language from El-Sayed’s campaign as his reasoning.

“We have never seen a candidate for U.S. Senate act so recklessly toward the safety of Jews in the community as we have seen from Abdul,” Turkish told The Detroit News.

“Every time he talks about genocide, Jews get death threats,” he added, referring to conversations about Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza.

There are only five more days until Election Day, and candidates are working to leave their final mark on voters.

President Trump is continuing is GOP campaign crusade on Thursday, returning to South Carolina for Sen. Darline Graham. He is expected to give remarks in Rock Hill at 12:30 p.m. EDT.

Recent polls show Graham, the sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), neck and neck with Democrat opponent Annie Andrews.

Vance heads to Texas, too: Vice President Vance is heading to Weatherford, Texas, to bolster support for the state’s attorney general Ken Paxton. He’s also facing a tighter-than-expected race with Democrat James Talarico.

Trump visited Texas three times in October. His most recent visit on Tuesday was met with a dueling rally hosted by Talarico in Lubbock.

Vance’s remarks are expected at 1:50 p.m. EDT.

And, in the Peach State: Former Vice President Harris is stumping for Sen. Jon Ossoff in his reelection bid. Former President Obama visited the state Wednesday night to talk affordability — and the Cheesecake Factory.

“First of all, let me get this on the record. I am the father of two daughters. Do you think I could have survived their childhood without going to the Cheesecake Factory? I lived at Chuck E. Cheese and California Pizza Kitchen and the Cheesecake Factory. That was my jam for about a decade,” Obama said.

“Of course, the real problem is the price has gotten so high, a lot of folks can barely afford to go out to eat, so you would think that this administration would be spending time worrying about that,” he added.

Ossoff is favored to beat Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.).

Harris will speak in Macon, Ga., at 1:45 p.m. EDT.

The White House is getting an early start on Halloween tonight, courtesy of Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

Thousands of children and parents will get to trick-or-treat around the South Lawn. The U.S. Air Force Strolling Strings will play “traditional Halloween songs,” per a White House press release.

There are many festivities planned from many administration groups: The U.S. Postal Service will provide toy mail trucks and a post card station. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will host a giant pumpkin photo opp and hand out mini pumpkins from American farmers. The Treasury Department will share coloring books as a promotion for Trump Accounts.

Dig into the data yourself with every public poll, early-voting trends and live predictions, all in one place. Get full access to Decision Desk HQ with Insider Premium.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired a top military strategist , The Hill learned Wednesday, marking yet another ouster during his two years leading the Pentagon.

Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who was the director for strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Staff J5, was removed from his role this week because of “severe misconduct,” according to U.S. officials aware of the decision.

“The Department of War has zero tolerance for the intentional, unauthorized disclosure of classified information. Anyone who compromises sensitive national security information puts the lives of our Warriors at risk and undermines every military operation that keeps our country safe,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said on the social platform X .

Hegseth has fired more than two dozen high-level officials, drawing criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Many of the cases have been unrelated to any disciplinary actions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk on Wednesday.

“Elon Musk is a genius, he’s just a real genius,” Putin said at a summit in Moscow, per Russia’s state media organization TASS.

The Russian president added the Kremlin was in conversations with Musk about developing a rival satellite communications system to SpaceX’s Starlink, which Ukraine currently uses in its military operations.

Starlink’s military-grade counterpart, Starshield, has been the subject of controversy in recent weeks when its capabilities were slowed in Ukraine , drawing backlash from both GOP and Democratic lawmakers.

Both Trump and Musk denied responsibility throughout the conflict, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has since stated that the technology has returned to typical function.

DoorDash will acquire Instacart for roughly $17 billion, the food delivery service announced on Thursday. Instacart will keep its name and customers will still be able to use the Instacart app. The purchase will allow shoppers to access 50,000 more stores.

U.S. economic growth increased in the third quarter, surged by AI investments and consumer spending despite persistent inflation. The country’s GDP increased at an annual rate of 3.4 percent from July through September.

Piers Morgan and former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia clashed Wednesday night after the British broadcaster accused her of sounding like a “robot” during her five-day tenure. Morgan tried to press her on private conversations with Trump before she was ousted, but Zacharia refused to share.

Associated Press : China’s Communist Party names a general to Politburo

Politico : 5 takeaways from Andy Burnham’s first budget

NBC News : Protests erupt in Spain after 68 killed in deadliest train crash in decades

New York Times : Searching for Jobs, Gen Z Feels Like It’s Staring Into ‘the Void’

The House and Senate out. President Trump is in Washington and South Carolina. (All times EDT)

12:30 p.m. Trump remarks in Rock Hill, S.C.

1:45 p.m. Harris campaigns in Macon, Ga.

1:50 p.m. Vance rallies in Weatherford, Texas.

3:30 p.m. White House Halloween with Melania Trump begins.

🐱 Celebrate : Today is National Cat Day.

🔥 Hot or not? The Washington Post wrangled some of the men that Trump has made comments about. Make it a game and guess for yourself. Does the president think the following men are hot or not?: Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Paxton, pro golfer Arnold Palmer and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Because you made it this far, check out these silly baby lions playing in the grass.

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