Alaska Ballot: Peltola campaign tied to spoiler recruitment

Four candidates appear on the ballot for the Alaska U.S. Senate race on Tuesday, including two men with the same name. A New York Times investigation published Wednesday details how the campaign of Democratic candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit the second Dan Sullivan. The goal was to peel votes away from the incumbent Republican, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.

The effort began in the summer of 2025. A Peltola staffer was directed to review state voter rolls to find Alaskans named Dan Sullivan. The plan centered on Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and self-identified left-leaning voter from Petersburg. He switched his voter registration to Republican shortly before filing his candidacy. Other recruits included drywall contractor Gerald Heikes. The team also pressured progressive candidate David Leslie to drop out to prevent him from siphoning votes from Peltola.

Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz was central to the operation. The report states he traveled through Alaska using the alias Zane. He met potential candidates at local pubs and diners. He offered outside financial backing to conservative and independent candidates to run and split the right-leaning vote. The DSCC and Peltola advisors also considered creating a third-party MAGA party to siphon votes. They abandoned that idea in May.

Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, told the Times that Peltola was definitely aware of the project. Rios was fired in August. She said Alaskan voters need to know the full picture before making their decisions. Rios later attempted to retract her comments before publication. The newspaper noted that her initial interviews were corroborated by text messages, internal documents, and 11 other sources. Attorney Jacquelyn Lopez, who represents the DSCC and Peltola’s campaign, was looped into discussions regarding the third-party strategy and field operations.

President Donald Trump reacted on Truth Social, calling the instance election fraud. He wrote that Peltola should not be allowed to keep her name on the ballot. Trump alleged that the Democrats lied to the court about their knowledge of the second Sullivan. He described the situation as perjury and a fraud on the American public. The White House Communications Director Steven Cheung posted on X that the Democrats' secret plan to stack the ballot was exposed.

Peltola’s campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. The DSCC echoed that stance, stating it had no role in recruiting the second Sullivan. A DSCC spokesperson pointed to Republican efforts, including recruiting a prisoner with a New York address and spending nearly half a million dollars for an Arizona resident to run in the race. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the election if the incumbent loses due to voter confusion over the identical names.

Under Alaska’s ranked-choice system, Peltola faces off against Dan S. Sullivan, Dan J. Sullivan, and Gerald Heikes on Tuesday. The report came just days before Election Day. Peltola enters the race as the sole Democrat on the ballot.