On Thursday, after the release of information in The New York Times that revealed a Democrat plot to confuse voters in the Alaska Senate race by placing a Decoy Dan Sullivan on the ballot to confuse voters with incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, the ladies of The View actually showed disdain for the Democrat plot, while at times questioning its legitimacy as “shady” and “dumb.”
Goldberg’s introduction included a disclaimer of “If these allegations are true,” and stated that it was true it was a “shady tactic." She then asked, “Should that be off limits?”
She then returned to The View’s original dismissal of a DOJ lawsuit into the matter from the discussion on Monday’s show, where the cast claimed voters could easily decipher who the incumbent on the ballot was.
After the NYT’s report, The View is now calling the fake Dan Sullivan trick a “shady tactic.” Joy Behar called it a “mistake on the part of Democrats," but she later added, “It’s done on both sides,” and “This is politics.”
Whoopi Goldberg, showing some doubt, continued, “It was… pic.twitter.com/ig21ppNdjf— Nick (@nspin310) October 29, 2026
Goldberg exclaimed, “I mean, I just think it's insane that either side, Democrats or Republicans, think Alaskans are so stupid they can't read “incumbent.” They don't know the difference between the two.”
Joy Behar then chimed in and claimed “both sides” did it. She first blamed Republicans and said they did it “back in the day,” without providing evidence. In response, Goldberg began to cast doubt on the NYT report and Democrat candidate Mary Peltola’s involvement:
BEHAR: But, you know, it’s done on both sides. It was done back in the day by the Republicans. They did it. And, also, I don't know, it just seems like a lousy, low-level trick. But, let’s remember that Trump was the one who asked to find 11,780 votes. Remember that? So he's up to dirty tricks all the time. This is just politics. And it was dumb of the Democrats.
GOLDBERG: It was dumb, if it's true. We don't know. She says its not.
BEHAR: Well, its the New York Times. You have to believe somebody.
The show’s sole supposedly conservative co-host, Alyssa Farah Griffin, also questioned whether Pelota, the Democrat candidate, actually knew about the plot. But, she then admitted, “I think it stinks to high heaven,” before she said she wanted to mention it on Monday’s show in the previous discussion of the topic where she minimized the double Dan Sullivans on the ballot:
I suspected it was the case when we talked about the other day, but I didn’t want to say it until it was confirmed through reporting.
It has long been thought the man who had the same name as the Republican incumbent was some sort of Democrat plant, as now local Alaskan reporters have revealed the "independent" Sullivan did not do campaign events. Still, even with much suspicion before the NYT report, she did not even allude to it in Monday's previous discussion.
Farah Griffin later continued her minimization and said, “I don't think this will have a tangible impact because the ballot is clear.” She then added, “But I don’t like it as a tactic at all,” before she feared Trump challenging Alaska’s results.
In more disdain for the ad, Sara Haines said confusing voters “Isn't a good political strategy” and said you are “betraying the very person you're asking to vote for you and represent you.”
The View’s Sunny Hostin later made the whole fake Dan Sullivan fiasco about Elon Musk’s political donations to Republicans and stated, “It just seems to me the system needs an overhaul.”
Joy Behar exclaimed, “Get the money out of politics.” pic.twitter.com/SCC9tGnjwo— Nick (@nspin310) October 29, 2026
Sunny Hostin also showed disdain and connected the decoy plot to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, as Behar chimed in and exclaimed, “Get the money out of politics.”
Hostin then said the plot was “not even illegal,” and said the law needed to be “reformed.”
Goldberg returned to call the plot “sloppy” and dumb, before returning to fears of Trump interference in the midterm elections and minimizing the idea of Tom Dan Sullivans being on the ballot in the first place, alike to what Farah Griffin said:
Goldberg continued to make fun of the fake Dan Sullivan scheme, calling it “sloppy and dumb,” before she feared Trump interference in the midterms.
Haines then laughed, “They're really only considering Republican voters stupid,” before Goldberg said if Peltola’s “group had… https://t.co/RZTGkruYon pic.twitter.com/8DoMb0xE4B— Nick (@nspin310) October 29, 2026
It’s just Sloppy. It’s just sloppy and dumb, and you’re right, she’s doing fine. She doesn't need the help.
But, you know, he's -- look, he's going to question whatever. He's going to look for any little thing, and he'll question it. He's going to do that. So just be prepared for it.
(...)
He’s been there a long time. So the idea they don't know who he is because they saw another Dan Sullivan.
Oh my god? Who is he? Where is he? It says incumbent right next to it.
Haines then added, “I don’t mean this as dismissive, but they're really only considering Republican voters stupid,” as she and the audience laughed. Goldberg responded, “But if her group had anything to do with it, they're also assuming that people are stupid.”
The View’s Alaska segment’s closing turned to talk about the “poorly educated,” before Whoopi assured Alaska voters they know how to read a ballot:
“People of Alaska, you know what you're doing. You know how to read a ballot. You know. And you’ll vote how you vote.” pic.twitter.com/oxb5pL8TRL— Nick (@nspin310) October 29, 2026
After they mocked Trump’s “poorly educated” moment from the 2016 campaign, Goldberg motivated Alaskan voters:
People of Alaska, you know what you're doing. You know how to read a ballot. You know. And you’ll vote how you vote.
The show’s tone changed from Monday, when Goldberg exclaimed, “I don’t know what the problem is.”
The transcript is below. Click "expand":
ABC’s The View
October 29, 2026
11:03:40 AM Eastern
(...)
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: If these allegations are true it is a shady tactic that should -- should that be off limits? I mean, I just think it's insane that either side, Democrats or Republicans, think Alaskans are so stupid they can't read “incumbent.” They don't know the difference between the two. When Comey did it, it's five minutes before the election. It's not good for anybody to do that.
JOY BEHAR: It's a mistake on the part of the Democrats.
GOLDBERG: Yeah
BEHAR: But, you know, it’s done on both sides. It was done back in the day by the Republicans. They did it. And, also, I don't know, it just seems like a lousy, low-level trick. But, let’s remember that Trump was the one who asked to find 11,780 votes. Remember that? So he's up to dirty tricks all the time. This is just politics. And it was dumb of the Democrats.
GOLDBERG: It was dumb, if it's true. We don't know. She says its not.
BEHAR: Well its the New York Times. You have to believe somebody.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: The question is over whether the candidate knew about it or operatives around it. And we don't know if the candidate knew of it or approved of it.
MULTIPLE VOICES: Yeah
FARAH GRIFFIN: I think it stinks to high heaven.
BEHAR: It does
FARAH GRIFFIN: I suspected it was the case when we talked about the other day, but I didn’t want to say it until it was confirmed through reporting.
And I just believe candidates should win on their merits, not through shady tactics. Think of this, like Vivek Ramaswamy did that ad in Ohio, it backfired against him. The gerrymandering in Texas, it backfired against them.
I don't think this will have a tangible impact because the ballot is clear.
GOLDBERG: Yeah. You know what it is. Yeah.
FARAH GRIFFIN: It says “Dan Sullivan, Republican incumbent.”
But I don't like it as a tactic at all. And what it does too: we know that Donald Trump has already telegraphed he wants to challenge the election results. This is absolutely going to show up in one of these lawsuits if Peltola wins. He’s going to says, “Well, look, It's probably because of this.” And while it won't change the material outcome, it could delay certifying the results and all of that for mch longer
SARA HAINES: Confusing a voter isn't a good political strategy. You're then kind of betraying the very person you're asking to vote for you and represent you. So, I think it's definitely dirty. And she didn't need this. I'm not saying she did it, operatives might of – Whatever is being reported, we don't know where it links to, but she was ahead by a large margin in the primary. Like, even if you added up all the people second, third, fourth, they couldn't get enough votes to beat her. So, she didn't actually need it.
But, I think it's – a lot of people say, ‘Yeah, look what we're up against. These are serious times. I get that, but f that's the thing we say every time, when are you compromising everything you're fighting against in the name of this. Like it’s –
SUNNY HOSTIN: I just – I think politics is just - has gotten so dirty, especially after Citizens United, with the Supreme Court allowing so much money into politics. I mean, Elon Musk has spent more money, I think, in history for these midterms, like a quarter of a billion dollars for the Republican Party. It just seems to me the system needs an overhaul. Literally needs an overhaul.
BEHAR: Get the money out of politics.
HOSTIN: Money needs to get out of politics, and it was interesting. When we were talking about this in hot topics, I was like “This must be illegal. Stacking a ballot in that way and doing that thing.”
It's not even illegal. It’s not even illegal. So, also the laws surrounding this area., those need to be reformed. It takes a long time for the laws to catch up with what's going on currently. I think legislators need to start working on things like this.
It’s just grotesque.
FARAH GRIFFIN: And I do think the candidate should denounce it and create distance.
HOSTIN: Yeah.
FARAH GRIFFIN: If she can honestly say she had nothing to do with it, she should say we don't need these kind of tactics. I'm running against this Dan Sullivan. Vote for me.
And remember, Alaska's ranked-choice voting. It makes it even –
BEHAR: What’s that mean?
FARAH GRIFFIN: So, basically you do the top ranking. So - whoever comes in the top two wins. It makes it even harder for the two Dan Sullivan thing to be confusing to voters. But I just don't like it as a tactic.
GOLDBERG: It’s just Sloppy. It’s just sloppy and dumb, and you’re right, she doing fine. She doesn't need the help.
But, you know, he's -- look, he's going to question whatever. He's going to look for any little thing, and he'll question it. He's going to do that. So just be prepared for it.
HOSTIN: I believe so. Yeah. He's going to challenge all of the election results
GOLDBERG: And he said he’s going to do: Not like he was hiding it. He says he's going to do it. Yeah, you know.
To assume the voters are not smart enough to recognize their incumbent, the guy who has been in office. He's been there since 2015.
HOSTIN: He's been there a long time. They know his name.
GOLDBERG: He’s been there a long time. So the idea they don't know who he is because they saw another Dan Sullivan.
Oh my god? Who is he? Where is he? It says incumbent right next to it.
[Laughter]
HAINES: I don’t mean this as dismissive, but they're really only considering Republican voters stupid
GOLDBERG: Yeah.
HAINES: If you want to be precise, because that's what they're doing.
FARAH GRIFFIN: [Laughs]: It is kind of insulting.
GOLDBERG: But if her group had anything to do with it, they're also assuming that people are stupid.
HOSTIN: And it means – she couldn’t win on her own. Which is unfortunate.
HAINES: Which, I think she can.
HOSTIN: Yeah
BEHAR: Well - When Trump said “I love the poorly educated,” the poorly educated thought that was a compliment. They didn't even get that was an insult.
It’s such an insulting thing to say.
HOSTIN: It is. It is.
FARAH GRIFFIN: All they heard was love.
GOLDBERG: People of Alaska, you know what you're doing. You know how to read a ballot. You know. And you’ll vote how you vote.
We'll be right back.
(...)
