Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign repeatedly denied involvement in recruiting candidates who could siphon votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, but a new New York Times investigation reports that campaign aides and national Democratic operatives participated in a broader effort to reshape Alaska’s Senate ballot.
The effort, internally described as a “ballot composition project,” allegedly sought candidates who could draw support away from Sullivan, including another Alaskan who shared the incumbent senator’s first and last name.
According to the Times reporting summarized by multiple outlets, a Peltola staffer was instructed in summer 2025 to search Alaska voter records for people named Dan Sullivan while Peltola was considering challenging the Republican incumbent.
That search ultimately took on new significance when retired Petersburg teacher Dan J. Sullivan entered the Senate race shortly before the filing deadline, creating the unusual prospect of two candidates named Dan Sullivan appearing in the same contest.
The Times reported that the effort extended beyond finding another Sullivan, with Democratic operatives allegedly approaching other potential candidates who might dilute the Republican incumbent’s support and discussing the possibility of establishing a MAGA-style political party.
The newspaper reported that senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides and lawyers associated with Elias Law Group were aware of aspects of the operation, while a Midwestern political operative allegedly traveled through Alaska under an assumed name while approaching prospective candidates.
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have denied coordinating a spoiler-candidate operation, and the Times report does not establish that Peltola personally recruited Dan J. Sullivan or directed him to enter the race.
Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios reportedly told the Times that Peltola was not personally involved in the operation but was “definitely aware” of it, although Rios later sought to retract statements she had previously made to the newspaper.
The Times also obtained internal communications indicating Democratic operatives celebrated after the Alaska Supreme Court cleared Dan J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot in June, with a DSCC employee writing, “Other Dan won, will be on ballot,” before several participants responded with heart emojis.
Republicans had raised suspicions about the second Sullivan almost immediately after he entered the race, pointing to his last-minute filing, campaign branding and connections to Democratic political consultant Amber Lee.
Metadata embedded in Dan J. Sullivan’s original campaign announcement identified Lee as its author, while Sullivan later acknowledged that Lee helped design his campaign logo and had not yet been paid for that work.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee subsequently filed a Federal Election Commission complaint alleging that unpaid professional assistance could constitute an impermissible in-kind campaign contribution, although the complaint itself does not establish that federal campaign-finance laws were violated.
Peltola spokesman Harry Child said in June that the campaign had “no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” while Dan J. Sullivan insisted he entered the race because he was dissatisfied with the incumbent senator and wanted to give Alaskans another option.
Alaska election officials initially attempted to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot after questioning whether his candidacy was made in good faith, but the Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision and allowed him to compete.
The challenger has since changed his voter registration from Republican to undeclared and will appear on the November ballot as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” without a party designation, while the incumbent is identified as “Dan S. Sullivan (Registered Republican) Incumbent.”
Those distinctions were designed to reduce voter confusion, but the dispute has nevertheless escalated into federal court after the Justice Department sued Alaska over the handling of the Senate election.
The Justice Department is seeking to prevent certification under certain circumstances if the incumbent Sullivan loses narrowly, arguing that confusion between the similarly named candidates could affect the result, while Alaska officials and Peltola have asked a federal judge to dismiss the case.
