President Donald Trump is calling for criminal prosecution and political consequences for Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola following a New York Times investigation that reported members of her campaign participated in an effort to recruit candidates who could draw votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, including another Alaskan with the same name.
“It has just been determined that the Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, in order to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election, thereby taking votes away from the REAL Senator, Dan Sullivan,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
He then quoted a section of the report, which said, “Democrats have insisted they have nothing to do with the other Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s Senate ballot. But aides with the Mary Peltola campaign and DSCC were part of a monthslong secret plan to recruit him to run — as well as other candidates.”
Trump then called for everyone allegedly involved in the scheme, including Peltola herself, to face prosecution: “The Democrats’ false statements were made under oath in Federal Court. Therefore, they perjured themselves, and should be liable for very serious consequences. Mary Peltola should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done, A FRAUD ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, and Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot.”
The president’s comments followed a New York Times investigation based on interviews with 12 people, internal messages and other documents that reported Peltola campaign aides participated in what insiders called a “ballot composition project” aimed at adding candidates who could dilute the incumbent Republican’s support.
According to the report, a Peltola staffer was instructed in summer 2025 to search Alaska voter records for as many people named Dan Sullivan as possible while Peltola was considering challenging the two-term Republican senator.
The effort eventually focused on Dan J. Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg who entered the Senate race this spring and advanced through Alaska’s open primary to become one of four candidates appearing on Tuesday’s ranked-choice general election ballot.
The Times reported that the operation was considerably broader than simply locating another Dan Sullivan, with Democratic operatives allegedly approaching other potential candidates and at one point considering creation of a new MAGA-oriented political party that could attract conservative voters.
Internal messages cited in the report also indicated that senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee personnel and lawyers connected to the Peltola campaign were aware of discussions surrounding the broader ballot effort.
The Times reported that when an Alaska court cleared Dan J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot in June, a DSCC employee announced in a group chat, “Other Dan won, will be on ballot,” prompting heart-emoji reactions from Peltola and DSCC staffers. Peltola’s campaign has denied recruiting candidates, saying Wednesday that “Alaskans for Mary” had “no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” while the DSCC similarly denied involvement in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan or other Republican candidates.
Peltola herself dismissed the controversy as a political distraction during a campaign appearance in Soldotna, arguing that attention should instead remain focused on policy issues and describing the reporting as “stuff to sell newspapers.” Dan J. Sullivan has also consistently denied being recruited by Democrats, previously insisting that he had “zero, none, zilch” contact with Peltola’s campaign before launching his candidacy.
Mary Peltola — before the scandal broke that she was "aware of" the plot to recruit a Democrat plant with the same name as Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan: "It should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate."
Galling. Democrats are shameless hypocrites. https://t.co/1hRztlwYOu
— USA Features Media (@USAFeatures) October 29, 2026
Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios, however, told the Times during earlier interviews that Peltola was not personally involved in the operation but was “definitely aware” of it, before Rios later attempted to retract statements she had made to the newspaper. Trump also accused Democrats of making false statements under oath in federal court and argued that those involved should face consequences for perjury, but those accusations remain allegations and have not resulted in criminal findings.
Alaska election officials initially ruled Dan J. Sullivan ineligible after determining that his candidacy was intended to confuse or mislead voters, but the Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision and allowed him to remain in the race.
The general-election ballot attempts to distinguish the candidates by listing the incumbent as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan while identifying the challenger as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., who now has no listed party affiliation.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has now ordered a state investigation into the alleged election manipulation, adding another official inquiry to a controversy erupting with voting already underway. More than 61,000 Alaska ballots had already been cast through Tuesday, making the timing especially consequential as the state prepares to decide a closely watched Senate contest that could affect control of the chamber.
