Alaska Senate: Texts reveal Democratic role in recruiting rival with incumbent's name
New York Times report shows Mary Peltola's team discussed placing a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot ahead of Tuesday's general election.
By Julia Novak ·
The New York Times reported Wednesday that the campaign for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola participated in efforts to recruit a candidate sharing the name of Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. The newspaper cited text messages exchanged between Peltola campaign members regarding the placement of this second Dan Sullivan on the ballot. The goal, according to the report, was to create confusion in a race that may determine control of the U.S. Senate.
The campaign identified a retired schoolteacher in Petersburg, a small fishing community, as the ideal candidate. This individual, named Dan J. Sullivan, advanced through the state's August open primary. He now appears on the ranked choice ballot for the general election scheduled for Tuesday. The presence of two candidates with nearly identical names has drawn scrutiny from both parties.
Dan J. Sullivan has consistently denied acting on Democratic instructions. In June, shortly after announcing his candidacy, he stated he had no contact with Peltola's team. He described the level of interaction as "Zero, none, zilch." He did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.
A senior state elections official initially ruled the Petersburg resident ineligible for the ballot. The official argued the candidacy was "filed with a purpose to confuse or mislead and to thereby compromise the ballot's fairness or neutrality." The Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision, ruling that Sullivan met the constitutional requirements for age, citizenship, and residency. Consequently, he remained on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election.
President Donald Trump has taken a hard line against the situation. Last week, he directed the Department of Justice to file a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of a Peltola victory. The lawsuit cites the presence of the second Dan Sullivan as the basis for its legal challenge. On Wednesday, Trump wrote on his social media platform that Peltola "should suffer the Legal and Political consequences for what she has done."
Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the incumbent's campaign, accused Peltola and her senior advisers of collusion. He stated that they worked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, national lawyers, and state operatives to recruit candidates intended to deceive voters. Adams added that Alaskans "deserve the truth." Peltola's campaign issued a statement Wednesday claiming it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," a position it reiterated in June.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also denied involvement on Wednesday. However, the Times report indicates that DSCC staffers were included in text message threads with the Peltola campaign discussing the second Sullivan. Legal experts noted that these findings do not alter the DOJ's current lawsuit. Derek Muller, a law professor at Notre Dame, described the recruitment as a "dirty campaign trick" but noted that the matter is now in the hands of voters rather than the courts.
The Times based its reporting partly on interviews with Elisa Rios, Peltola's former campaign manager. Rios was fired in August during a campaign reorganization. The newspaper reported she attempted to retract her comments last week. The Associated Press was unable to reach her for immediate comment. As of Monday, 46,204 ballots had been cast in Alaska. On the ballot, the incumbent is listed as Dan Sullivan, while the challenger appears as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation.
