The New York Times reported Wednesday that operatives around Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign spent months looking for a second Dan Sullivan to put in Alaska's race against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a plan the paper says worked. Peltola's campaign denies recruiting anyone.
JUST IN: Democrat operatives spent months finding Alaskans with the same name as Republican Dan Sullivan so they could confuse voters and help Mary Peltola (D), according to The New York Times.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 28, 2026
A staffer was tasked with finding every voter named "Dan Sullivan" in the state and… pic.twitter.com/7WTrm2n10T
According to the Times, a Peltola staffer got unusual instructions from top campaign aides in the summer of 2025, when she was eyeing a Senate run: "Find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as you can." The staffer searched voter records and compiled a statewide list of Dan Sullivans. "The plan worked," the paper wrote. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, entered the race this year without a party label next to his name.
The paper's central source is Elisa Rios, Peltola's former campaign manager, who was fired this summer. Rios said Peltola was "definitely aware" of the effort but not directly involved in it. The Times says it drew on interviews with Rios and 11 other people, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign.<
