Alaska’s U.S. Senate race heads into Tuesday clouded by a New York Times report that people tied to Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired Petersburg teacher, to run against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. Peltola and the DSCC deny involvement.
Both Sullivans are on the ranked-choice ballot, Daniel J. Sullivan with no party listed, the Alaska Beacon reported. In the August primary, Peltola took 49.5%, Sen. Sullivan 41.4% and Daniel J. Sullivan 2.5%, according to ABC News.
What the Times reported
According to the Times, people working with the Peltola campaign, Peltola lawyers and senior DSCC aides took part in what was internally called the “ballot composition project” to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan and other would-be spoilers, CNBC reported. Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told the Times Peltola was not directly involved but was “definitely aware,” and later asked to retract her statements, the paper reported.
The investigations
A June Division of Elections ruling that Daniel J. Sullivan’s declaration was filed “with a purpose to confuse or mislead” was reversed by a trial court, and the Alaska Supreme Court affirmed, keeping him on the ballot, Scripps News reported.
The Justice Department sued Oct. 22 to block certification if Sen. Sullivan narrowly loses because of “voter confusion,” and on Oct. 30 asked that all ballots ranking Daniel J. Sullivan be preserved and segregated, NPR reported. U.S. Attorney Michael Heyman confirmed criminal and civil investigations, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) ordered a state probe, according to The Guardian. No one has been charged, CBS News reported. Judge Sharon Gleason is expected to rule soon on Alaska’s request to dismiss the suit, NBC News reported.
What critics say
Heyman, citing the Times, said Peltola’s campaign and national Democrats “orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up Daniel J Sullivan as a sham candidate,” The Guardian reported. President Trump wrote on Truth Social that “Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot,” according to ABC News.
Alaskans care about character, judgment, and integrity. Mary’s plot shows she lacks all three.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, @DanSullivan_AK, on X
Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy, @GovDunleavy, on X
The denials
“I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. […] I am not interested in tricking voters,” Peltola said in Juneau on Oct. 29, according to the AP.
An Alaskans for Mary spokesperson said the campaign “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” and the DSCC said it was “not involved with Dan J. Sullivan,” ABC News reported.
In June, Daniel J. Sullivan said, “This is my choice,” and that he had “zero, none, zilch” contact with Peltola’s campaign, adding that he was “tired of sitting back and watching our current senator routinely fail to represent the interests of ordinary Alaskans,” the Deseret News reported.
Sen. Sullivan said Sunday on CNN he will accept the results, The Washington Post reported.
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