Report Says Peltola Camp Helped Recruit Second Dan Sullivan; Campaign Denies It

A New York Times investigation reports that aides to Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) helped recruit candidates meant to draw votes away from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, including a second man named Dan Sullivan. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, and the dispute has landed days before the midterm elections.

President Donald Trump responded on Truth Social by calling the report proof of election fraud and saying Peltola should be kept off the ballot. Fox News, The Guardian and ABC News all covered the Times report.

What the New York Times reported

According to Fox News, which summarized the Times investigation, the effort was known internally as the “ballot composition project.” It allegedly involved DSCC aides, senior campaign advisers, party lawyers and an operative who traveled the state under assumed names.

The Guardian reported that Democrats began looking at ways to put a spoiler candidate on the ballot in the summer of 2025. The DSCC introduced Peltola's campaign to Jerid Kurtz, an Ohio native who specializes in such work, which the Times said is typically legal. Fox News reported that a Peltola staffer was told to search voter rolls for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan.

The Times reported that the operative approached one other possible candidate without success and ultimately recruited the other Dan Sullivan, a retiree from Petersburg. Fox News said he switched his voter registration to Republican shortly before filing. The Times also reported that the operative persuaded Democrat David Leslie to leave the race after the August primary, and Republican Gerald Heikes took the fourth ballot spot. Heikes told the Times he was recruited by “a guy from the midwest,” but the Guardian noted that the description did not match the Ohio operative.

The Times also reported that campaign officials and the DSCC discussed creating a right-leaning third party, but the idea did not go forward.

Who is denying what

Peltola's campaign, Alaskans for Mary, told the Times it has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates. The DSCC said it was not involved with Dan J. Sullivan and pointed to what it called a long Republican history of recruiting and propping up candidates, including in this year's Alaska and Ohio Senate races.

The Times said its reporting rested on 12 sources, along with text messages and internal documents, according to ABC News. Elisa Rios, Peltola's former campaign manager, who was fired in August, told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved but was “definitely aware.” The Times reported that Rios later tried to retract her comments, though ABC News said she gave no reason. The newspaper said her interviews were backed by other evidence.

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sullivan's campaign, accused Peltola's campaign of misleading Alaskans for months.

Why it matters for Alaska voters

The general election ballot lists the senator as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican and the incumbent, and the other candidate as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party listed. ABC News reported that Peltola led the August primary with 49.5% of the vote, followed by Sen. Sullivan with 41.4% and Dan J. Sullivan with 2.5%. Republicans have long argued that the similar names could confuse voters and cost the incumbent votes.

The stakes extend beyond Alaska. The Guardian described the race as one of the most important of the midterms, with Democrats targeting it as they try to win back a Senate majority. Republicans currently hold 53 seats to the Democrats' 47, and recent polls have shown Peltola ahead, according to the Guardian.

The ballot-stacking tactics described are common in politics and widely considered legal, the Times reported. Alaska courts found nothing illegal in Dan J. Sullivan's bid, ABC News said, even if it was not made in “good faith,” as the Trump administration and Republicans contend. The Alaska Supreme Court ordered state election officials to put him on the ballot.

What happens next

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit to block certification of the Alaska Senate result if Sullivan narrowly loses, citing voter confusion over the two names. ABC News reported that District Judge Sharon Gleason showed considerable skepticism of the department's strategy, pointing to the last-minute timing while Alaskans are already voting. ABC News also reported that the department has had a criminal investigation into the circumstances of Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy open for several months.

The Alaska Department of Law said the Times story confirmed its early concerns about the candidacy but does not affect the federal case. Placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law, it said, and the state is bound by the Alaska Supreme Court's order.

Voters will choose among Peltola, Sullivan, Dan J. Sullivan and Heikes in the four-person race next week.

Around Prague, based on reporting by Fox News, The Guardian, ABC News