Report: Peltola Camp Tied to Plan to Confuse Alaska Senate Voters
WHO:
NY Post - Mary Peltola, an Alaska Senate hopeful, was reportedly “definitely aware” of a search for people named Dan Sullivan to recruit for the contest.
ABC News - The New York Times report cited former Peltola staffer Elisa Rios, who said Peltola was not directly involved but was “definitely aware.” The Times also reported that Rios later asked the newspaper to retract her statements; she did not give a reason.
ABC News - Alaskans for Mary, Peltola’s campaign committee, said it “has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.”
ABC News - The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) said it was “not involved with Dan J. Sullivan.”
ABC News - Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan’s campaign spokesperson Nate Adams said, “Alaskans deserve the truth,” and accused Peltola and her campaign of trying to “deceive” voters.
ABC News - President Donald Trump said Peltola should “suffer the Legal and Political consequences” and called for her and Dan J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot. He wrote, “Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot.”
WHAT:
ABC News - The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee cited a 2024 example in which Alaska Republicans backed an effort by a Democratic House candidate who was an inmate in a New York federal prison to remain on the ballot and challenge Mary Peltola.
ABC News - The New York Times reported that ballot-stacking tactics are common in politics and widely considered legal.
Fox News - Peltola’s campaign and Democrats allegedly backed a covert “ballot composition project” to recruit candidates with names matching opponents and split votes against Dan Sullivan.
NY Post - Top aides to Peltola were reportedly instructed to search for people named Dan Sullivan to recruit for the Alaska Senate race.
ABC News - The New York Times reported that Peltola campaign members, her lawyers and senior DSCC aides helped push Republican Dan J. Sullivan to run against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan. The report relied on 12 sources, text messages and documents.
ABC News - Alaska courts found nothing illegal about Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy, while noting it might not have been entirely in “good faith” or intended to “confuse and mislead.”
ABC News - The Department of Justice has an active criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
ABC News - The Trump administration filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of the Alaska Senate race if Sen. Sullivan narrowly loses, citing possible voter confusion.
WHERE:
ABC News - The candidate cited by the DSCC was an inmate in a New York federal prison.
ABC News - The reported candidate-recruitment effort concerned Alaska’s four-way Senate ballot and the Alaska Senate race.
WHY:
ABC News - The DSCC cited the 2024 House race to argue that Republicans have also recruited or supported candidates to boost their campaigns.
ABC News - The reported goal of recruiting Dan J. Sullivan was to potentially siphon votes from incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan and benefit Peltola.
ABC News - Republicans have said for months that Dan J. Sullivan was recruited to confuse Alaska voters and peel votes from the incumbent senator.
HOW:
ABC News - The effort was internally called the “ballot composition project,” according to the New York Times report.
ABC News - Rios was reportedly fired from Peltola’s campaign shortly before the Alaska primary; the campaign said it had “undergone staffing updates” as it transitioned to the general election.
(UPDATED October 29, 2026 04:06 UTC)
A New York Times report says Mary Peltola’s campaign team, lawyers and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides helped recruit Republican Dan J. Sullivan to run against Alaska’s incumbent Republican senator, potentially splitting his vote; former staffer Elisa Rios said Peltola was “definitely aware” but not directly involved, then later asked the newspaper to retract her remarks. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC deny involvement, while Alaska courts found nothing illegal about Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy, though they questioned whether it was in good faith, and the Justice Department is investigating; the Trump administration has also sued to block certification if the incumbent narrowly loses. President Trump called for Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot, while the DSCC cited a past Alaska Republican effort to keep an imprisoned Democratic House candidate on the ballot, arguing that both parties have used such tactics.
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(UPDATED October 28, 2026 22:05 UTC)
A New York Times report says members of Mary Peltola’s campaign, her lawyers and senior Democratic aides helped recruit Republican Dan J. Sullivan to run against Alaska’s incumbent senator, also named Dan Sullivan, in an effort that could split votes and benefit Peltola. Former staffer Elisa Rios said Peltola was not directly involved but was “definitely aware,” then later asked the newspaper to retract her statements; Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny involvement, while Alaska courts found nothing illegal in the candidacy, and the Justice Department is investigating. President Trump called for Peltola and Dan J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot, and his administration has sued to block certification if the incumbent narrowly loses, citing possible voter confusion.