NYT: Peltola Aides Helped Recruit Second Dan Sullivan; Campaign Denies

Aides to Democrat Mary Peltola’s Alaska Senate campaign worked with Democratic operatives to recruit a second “Dan Sullivan” and other would-be spoilers into the race against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, according to an investigation The New York Times published Wednesday, six days before the Nov. 3 election.

The Times based its reporting on interviews with 12 people, dozens of text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, according to The Alaska Story’s account of the report. Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny any involvement.

Peltola campaign aides, DSCC officials helped recruit second Dan Sullivan in Alaska race: NYT https://t.co/OnRjzslRrI

— CNBC (@CNBC) October 28, 2026

What the Times reported

According to the Times, as summarized by The Alaska Story, the effort began in the summer of 2025, when a Peltola staffer was told to search voter records for Alaskans named Dan Sullivan. The goal, the outlet reported, was to find someone whose name could pull votes meant for the incumbent.

The Times reported that the work, known internally as the “ballot composition project,” went beyond finding a namesake, The Alaska Story said. Participants also explored recruiting other candidates, backing them with outside spending and even setting up a new right-wing party to draw conservative voters, according to The Alaska Story.

A central source was Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, who was fired in an August staff shake-up, the Juneau Independent reported. Rios told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved in the project but knew about it, according to The Alaska Story and CNBC. The Times disclosed that Rios later asked to retract her statements, and said her earlier interviews matched the rest of its reporting, according to The Alaska Story.

The Times identified Ohio political operative Jerid Kurtz as a key figure, according to The Alaska Story. Rios said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides introduced Kurtz to her and to Peltola’s then-chief of staff, the outlet reported. According to the Juneau Independent, the Times reported that Kurtz said the other Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher named Dan J. Sullivan, was willing to run if it would help Peltola.

The Alaska Story also reported that the Times found a pro-Peltola PAC paid about $87,000 this fall to a firm Kurtz co-owns. The PAC denies hiring him for that purpose, according to the outlet. Kurtz did not respond to the Times’ requests for comment, The Alaska Story reported.

Denials from Peltola and Democrats

Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee denied taking part in any effort to recruit spoiler candidates, but both declined to answer a detailed list of the Times’ questions, according to the Juneau Independent. A committee spokesperson told CNBC it is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan and said that Republicans have their own history of propping up candidates to help their campaigns.

Dan J. Sullivan has denied running on behalf of the Peltola campaign but declined to answer the Times’ questions, according to the Juneau Independent. He changed his voter registration back to “Undeclared” this week, The Alaska Story reported.

DOJ lawsuit already in court

The report lands in the middle of a Trump Justice Department lawsuit seeking to halt certification of the Senate race if the incumbent loses by fewer votes than Dan J. Sullivan receives, according to the Juneau Independent. President Donald Trump has said he ordered that suit. He said Friday that he was the one who told the department to file it, CNBC reported. The Alaska Division of Elections removed him from the ballot this summer, but the Alaska Supreme Court reversed that decision, according to the Juneau Independent.

Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee are seeking to join that lawsuit, with a ruling on their motions expected Wednesday, the Juneau Independent reported. Recent polls show a close race with Peltola holding a slight lead within the margin of error, according to the outlet, in a contest that could decide control of the Senate.

Republicans have argued that the second Sullivan is a fake candidate meant to confuse voters and boost Peltola, Just the News reported. The Times report now puts that claim to Alaska voters with Peltola’s former campaign manager as a named source.

Sources

• Juneau Independent
• CNBC
• The Alaska Story
• Just the News

Reporting by Daily Beltway.