Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has dismissed allegations that political operatives recruited a candidate sharing Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s name to influence the November 3 election, as state and federal authorities investigate the reported effort.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola has publicly dismissed allegations that political operatives associated with her campaign recruited another candidate named Dan Sullivan to draw votes away from the Republican incumbent, calling the controversy a distraction from economic issues facing Alaskans.
Peltola addressed the allegations during a campaign appearance in Soldotna following an investigation by The New York Times that described efforts by Democratic political operatives to recruit candidates who could complicate Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan’s reelection campaign.
“This is just another distraction, it’s another diversion,” Peltola said in a video of her remarks posted on X. “Every day, it’s some, you know, new, look over here moment.”
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She then criticized Sullivan’s voting record, particularly his support for American military operations involving Iran.
“Not Dan Sullivan, registered Republican, incumbent, voted for this war in Iran 14 times,” Peltola continued.
Turning her attention to the newspaper’s investigation, she added, “This is all stuff just to sell newspapers. Nobody at The New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska.”
The remarks followed an October 28 New York Times investigation reporting that individuals associated with Peltola’s campaign and Democratic political organizations sought to recruit candidates who might divert support from the incumbent Republican senator.
The controversy centers on Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher from Petersburg, Alaska, who is running as an independent candidate against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Peltola.
The two men share the same first and last names, raising questions about whether voters could mistakenly select the independent candidate when intending to support the Republican incumbent.
According to the Times, political operatives began identifying Alaska residents named Dan Sullivan during the summer of 2025.
A campaign employee reportedly received instructions to search voter records for individuals sharing the incumbent senator’s name.
The investigation described communications among campaign personnel and Democratic strategists about recruiting additional candidates.
The effort was reportedly referred to internally as a ballot composition project.
The Times cited text messages, interviews and other records indicating that individuals associated with Peltola’s political operation discussed recruiting candidates to divide votes otherwise expected to benefit the Republican incumbent.
Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told the newspaper that voters deserved to know what occurred.
“Alaskan voters need to know,” Rios said. “There was a lot of speculation, and voters should get the full picture when making their decisions.”
According to the reporting, Rios said Peltola was aware of the broader effort but was not directly involved in recruiting the independent candidate.
Peltola’s campaign has denied involvement with either Sullivan campaign.
“Alaskans for Mary has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign,” a spokesperson said in response to the allegations.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has also denied participating in the reported recruitment operation.
Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. has maintained that his candidacy is legitimate and that he entered the race independently.
When questioned earlier this year about whether he had communicated with Peltola’s campaign, he denied any contact.
“Zero, none, zilch,” he said.
The controversy previously resulted in a dispute over whether the independent candidate could appear on Alaska’s ballot.
State election officials initially determined that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. should not qualify for the primary because his candidacy appeared intended to confuse voters.
The Alaska Division of Elections concluded that his filing had been submitted “with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot’s fairness or neutrality.”
However, the Alaska Supreme Court subsequently overturned that decision and permitted his candidacy to proceed.
The court determined that state election laws did not authorize officials to exclude an otherwise eligible candidate based on their assessment of his political motivations.
Consequently, both Sullivan candidates remain on the November 3 ballot.
The incumbent is identified as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican and incumbent senator, while the independent candidate appears as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., without a party affiliation.
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than selecting only one candidate.
Under that system, if no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes, the lowest-ranking candidate is eliminated and eligible votes transfer to voters’ next-ranked choices.
The system could affect whether support for an independent candidate ultimately changes the outcome, depending on how voters rank their preferences.
The latest reporting prompted Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy to order an investigation into the alleged recruitment operation.
According to an Associated Press report published October 29, Dunleavy directed the Alaska Department of Public Safety to determine whether the reported actions violated state election laws.
The governor said the Times investigation contained information supporting earlier concerns raised by state election officials.
He described the allegations as evidence of an organized effort to influence the election by recruiting candidates whose names might confuse voters.
Dunleavy said investigators should determine whether criminal charges or civil enforcement actions are warranted.
Federal authorities have also expanded their investigation.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Justice Department issued additional grand jury subpoenas as prosecutors examined whether the alleged recruitment operation violated federal election laws.
Investigators are reportedly considering whether the activities could constitute a conspiracy to interfere with voters’ rights.
No criminal conviction or judicial finding has established that Peltola directed an illegal scheme or that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s candidacy violated federal law.
The House Oversight Committee also announced an investigation into the allegations, requesting testimony and records from individuals identified in the reporting.
President Donald Trump criticized the reported effort and called for legal consequences.
“I think they should be prosecuted,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
He also said Peltola should face legal and political consequences if the allegations were substantiated.
Vice President JD Vance supported an investigation, accusing Democrats of attempting to confuse Alaska voters.
However, political efforts to recruit additional candidates are not automatically illegal. Courts distinguish between permissible campaign strategy and conduct that violates election laws or interferes with voters’ rights.
The Alaska Supreme Court’s earlier decision permitting Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. to remain on the ballot underscored those legal limitations.
The dispute has intensified during the final days of a Senate contest with significant implications for the composition of Congress.
Peltola, a former member of the U.S. House, is challenging Sullivan, who has represented Alaska in the Senate since 2015.
The two have disagreed over economic policy, federal spending, resource development and American military involvement in Iran.
Peltola has emphasized affordability, energy costs and economic conditions affecting Alaska families.
Sullivan and Republican officials have made election integrity central to their criticism of the reported candidate recruitment.
With Election Day approaching on November 3, the controversy has produced parallel state and federal investigations, congressional scrutiny and competing accounts from the individuals involved.
The central questions remain whether political operatives deliberately recruited an additional candidate to mislead voters, whether Peltola personally participated in or approved such an effort and whether any conduct violated applicable election laws.
For now, the allegations remain under investigation, both Sullivan candidates are permitted to appear on Alaska’s ballot, and Peltola continues to deny campaign involvement while dismissing the controversy as an attempt to divert attention from her policy criticisms of the incumbent senator.
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