Report: Peltola Campaign Helped Recruit Second Dan Sullivan for Alaska Senate Ballot

The campaign of Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola was behind an effort to recruit a challenger with nearly the same name as Republican US senator Dan Sullivan, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. Both men will appear on the ballot in next week's midterm elections.

Republicans have criticized the presence of two candidates named Dan Sullivan in the race. One is the two-term senator. The other is a retiree from south-eastern Alaska with little political experience. Republicans call the newcomer a Democratic ploy to split the incumbent's supporters and cost him re-election.

Peltola's campaign has denied any involvement with the second Dan Sullivan. The Times, however, reports that her officials and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) worked to locate other Alaskans named Dan Sullivan and encouraged them to run. The reporting draws on interviews with Peltola's former campaign manager and other sources, along with documents and text messages tied to the effort.

The former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, whom Peltola fired in August, told the Times: "Alaskan voters need to know." The newspaper added that she later tried to retract her interview.

According to the Times, Democrats began exploring ways to place a spoiler candidate on the ballot in the summer of 2025. The DSCC introduced the Peltola campaign to Jerid Kurtz, an Ohio native and political operative who specialized in such work, which is typically legal. He first approached another potential candidate who did not share the senator's name, then ultimately recruited the other Dan Sullivan, the Times reports.

The Times also reports that Peltola campaign officials discussed with the DSCC creating a rightwing party to field a candidate, but the plan did not materialize. After a second Democrat advanced through the August primary, the operative reportedly met with him and persuaded him to drop out. Another Republican, Gerald Heikes, replaced him on the ballot. Heikes, a perennial candidate who has run unsuccessfully for governor, US senator and House representative, told the Times he was recruited "by a guy from the midwest," though the person did not resemble the Ohio operative.

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for Sullivan's campaign, said: "Alaskans deserve the truth." He accused Peltola and her campaign of spending months "gaslighting Alaskans" and denying a scheme they were running all along. A spokesperson for Peltola's campaign said the Alaskans for Mary campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." A DSCC spokesperson said the committee is "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan" and pointed to what they described as a long Republican history of recruiting and propping up candidates, including in Alaska and Ohio this year, and in earlier races in North Carolina and Montana.

Donald Trump shared the Times article on Truth Social, calling it proof of "election fraud" and saying Peltola should not be allowed to run. Last week, he acknowledged ordering the justice department to file a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the election results if Sullivan loses. At an Alaska rally this month, he urged the senator's supporters to vote for the "real" Dan Sullivan.

Sullivan is seeking a third term against Peltola, a former congresswoman, in one of the most closely watched midterm contests. Democrats are targeting Alaska as one of a handful of states where they hope to regain a Senate majority, as they currently hold 47 seats to the GOP's 53. Recent polls have shown Peltola ahead.

State election authorities tried to disqualify the other Dan Sullivan before the August primary, but the state supreme court ruled he could appear on the ballot. He finished among the top four vote-getters in the nonpartisan primary. On the general election ballot, the senator will be listed as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent" and the challenger as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr."