Networks Revel in Leftist Hijinks in Alaska, Socialist Upset in Florida

On Wednesday, ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Mornings, and NBC’s Today all had full reports on Tuesday’s primary results that boasted a socialist candidate pulled off an upset in Florida’s Senate race and trumpeted Alaska Senate primary with blatant political chicanery in which someone seems to have found another Alaska with the same name as incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan in hopes of throwing the race to the Democrats.

In a clear case of bias by omission, these networks refused to tell their viewers that Dan J. Sullivan — whereas the current senator, is Dan S. Sullivan — has, as NOTUS’s Igor Bobic pointed out, “voted Democratic in the last 3 presidential elections, voted for [Democrat Mary] Peltola and [Republican Senator Lisa] Murkowski, and attended a ‘No Kings’ protest.”

ABC’s GMA giddily covered the two Sullivans with reports kicking off both hours of the show. D.C.-based correspondent Jay O’Brien told viewers “all eyes were on that critical state of Alaska and what that race could mean for control of the Senate” with the incumbent Sullivan and Peltola “advancing...to the November ballot.”

Promoting Peltola’s promise to be “an independent voice,” O’Brien added the kicker: “Alaska allows for four candidates, regardless of party, to advance to the general election ballot. And this morning, it’s unclear if that will include Dan J. Sullivan, a candidate with virtually the same name as the senator.”

O’Brien fretted that Dan J. Sullivan could face some legal trouble: “ABC News has learned the Justice Department issued a series of subpoenas to those tied to Dan Sullivan’s campaign, probing whether he’s part of a conspiracy to purposefully confuse voters, something Sullivan has strongly denied.”

He also weighed in on Florida, saying “the Democratic Party’s deep divisions” were “on full display” with “[s]elf-declared Democratic socialist and State Representative Angie Nixon beating Alexander Vindman in the primary to take on Republican Senator Ashley Moody, expected to be an uphill battle for Democrats this fall.”

“But far-left challengers coming up short elsewhere on the ballot, unable to unseat Florida Congressman Jared Moskowitz and veteran Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz,” he conceded before addressing the viral debate clip of Senator Darline Graham (R-SC) admitting she didn’t know about Taiwan and Chinese aggression in the South China Sea.

ABC also threw a jab at President Trump for voting in the Florida primary by mail: “[D]espite railing against the practice, President Trump voted by mail in yesterday’s primaries. It’s the second time this year he’s done so. Responding, the White House says that President Trump has advocated for stricter guardrails on mail-in voting.”

The Disney-owned liberals, of course, are incapable of nuance or grasping the fact that Trump has spoken out in favor of mail-in voting with the SAVE America Act, so long as it involves voter ID and tightening reasons for why someone could request a mail-in ballot.

NBC’s Today hit similar notes, down to opening both hours with primary results.

Co-host Savannah Guthrie opened the first hour with word that “Florida deliver[ed] the biggest surprise of the night” with “Nixon scor[ing] an upset victory[.]”

Chief Capitol Hill correspondent Ryan Nobles said the “shocking” results came for the “progressive wing of the Democratic Party” despite Nixon having been “outspent by more than $15 million” by “moderate candidate Alexander Vindman, a star witness in President Trump’s first impeachment.”

Following a brief mention of the gubernatorial race, Nobles turned to “retired teacher” Dan J. Sullivan’s seemingly quixotic quest to help Democrats despite claiming to be a Republican (click “expand”):

NOBLES: And another closely-watched Senate race taking shape in Alaska. Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan on defense, looking to secure a third term as Democrats aim to flip that critical Senate seat, running former Congresswoman Mary Peltola.

FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN MARY PELTOLA (D-AK): It’s a real campaign now. We are really in this. [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

NOBLES: Sullivan and Peltola qualifying for the general election, which will include the top four vote-getters. One of whom could be another candidate named Dan Sullivan, a retired teacher who could earn a place on the November ballot, possibly causing confusion for voters down the road.

Over on CBS Mornings, they provided far more balance with a hardball for Pennsylvania Democrat Governor Josh Shapiro about the party’s far-left flank and then a litany of hardballs for Nixon.

But before each of those, featured co-host Vlad Duthiers spoke with CBS News executive director of elections and surveys Anthony Salvanto about the results, so they started with their recent poll about how Americans view socialism.

Salvanto explained that while “nationally, just over half the party thinks of that in a positive way,” there’s “trouble” for them “when you look at views of socialism and capitalism across the wider electorate” because it turns into a “net negative.”

“So, they’re going to have to reconcile that. Let me show you in context, though, the Florida Senate race. This is a list of battlegrounds and, Vlad, you will notice Florida is not on it. Florida is a reliably Republican state, so that’s the way that one will likely trend in either case,” he added, casting doubt on Nixon’s chances.

After footnoting Mills’s loss, they went over to Alaska where, like with ABC and NBC, they omitted the chicanery surrounding Dan J. Sullivan and his past voting record. They at least weren’t giddy about it like the other two (click “expand”):

DUTHIERS: So, let’s talk about that race in Alaska, one of the Democrats’ potential pickup opportunities, which is kind of surprising to me. This is a state that Donald Trump won comfortably, as you know. So, what makes Mary Peltola such a formidable challenger to the Republican Senator Dan Sullivan —

SALVANTO: Right.

DUTHIERS: — one of two Dan Sullivans, by the way, running —

SALVANTO: Right.

DUTHIERS: — in that race?

SALVANTO: There were two on the ballot, the same name on the ballot, the incumbent who is in the runoff. Here’s the deal with Alaska. The Democrats have Mary Peltola now in the runoff, which is what takes place in November. She’s won statewide office before. That’s the reason they think they have a chance here. The other reason they think they have a chance is that the way Alaska’s elections work, it’s ranked-choice voting. And so, even if you don’t get over 50 percent, you might be the choice of the second- and third-place folks, and they could put you over the top. Stay tuned, watch Alaska. We will be talking about it all fall.

To see the relevant transcripts from August 19, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).