NYT Reports Peltola Aides and DSCC Staff Helped Recruit Second Dan Sullivan; Campaign Denies It, Trump Demands Prosecution

Since the Justice Department sued on Oct. 22 to head off certification of Alaska's Senate race over the presence of a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot, the dispute has shifted from legal theory to a question of who put him there. A New York Times investigation published today, Oct. 28, says people working with Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan to run.

Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny it.

What the Times reports

The Times says it relied on 12 sources, interviews, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign. It reports that the effort was internally called the "ballot composition project." By the Times' account, it involved Peltola's campaign lawyers and senior DSCC aides, secret trips to remote Alaskan communities, and a Midwestern operative who traveled the state under a false name pitching would-be candidates at brew pubs.

The paper also reports that participants discussed forming a new political party to draw conservatives onto the ballot. It says the effort went beyond Sullivan and tried to coax other potential spoilers into the race.

According to the Times, Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz was consulted to find and recruit Sullivan and flew to the retired teacher's remote village to make the pitch. Sullivan told the paper he "didn't have any interest in being a politician" but disliked President Trump and wanted to help Democrats win the Senate. He said he has voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in the last three elections and did not vote for Sen. Sullivan in his previous two campaigns.

Elisa Rios, Peltola's former campaign manager, told the Times in a series of interviews that Peltola was not directly involved but was "definitely aware." Rios tried last week to retract those comments, the Times said. The paper did not honor the retraction.

The Times also noted that ballot-stacking tactics are "common in politics and generally considered legal," and that both parties have used them in Alaska.

The denials

"The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," a Peltola spokesman said in a statement. A DSCC spokesperson said the committee "is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan."

The DSCC also pointed to a Republican precedent. In 2024, when Peltola ran for reelection to the House, the state Republican Party backed an effort by a Democratic House candidate who was an inmate in a New York federal prison to stay on the ballot against her. Peltola's campaign accused Republicans of a history of propping up spoiler candidates dating back to the 2010 Citizens United decision.

Sen. Sullivan's campaign called it a "concerted effort to deceive Alaskans" and said Peltola was "hoping it would stay covered up until after the election."

Trump's demand and a reported criminal probe

Trump spoke to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before a trip to Ohio. "Mary Peltola should resign from the race. I think she should be prosecuted criminally for what she did," he said. He called it "voter fraud at the highest level" and said any allies involved should also face charges.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said Democrats "illegally" recruited the same-named candidate "to defraud, confuse, and obfuscate the Election." He claimed Democrats made false statements under oath in federal court and "perjured themselves," and said both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan should come off the ballot. He did not identify which filing or statement he meant. Trump has said he directed the DOJ to file the underlying suit.

Fox News reported today, citing two sources familiar with the probe, that federal prosecutors are running an "aggressive criminal investigation" into how the second Sullivan got on the ballot. The sources said investigators are preparing grand jury subpoenas and examining potential violations of voters' rights, and expect the probe to run past Election Day. The DOJ declined to comment, and no charges have been filed.

It is unclear what statute would apply. Daniel J. Sullivan met the legal requirements to run, and under Alaska's system four candidates advanced from the primary. Both Sullivans, Peltola and Gerald Heikes are on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Where the court case stands

The civil case is on a separate track. Alaska's state lawyers told the court the elections division "has taken significant steps to distinguish them on the ballot." They argued that "the United States lacks authority to intervene in state elections at all" and that the complaint "has no legal basis." The state's sample ballot lists "Sullivan, Dan S." with the word "incumbent" and party affiliation, and "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." without a note about his registered Republican status.

Peltola's lawyers called the suit "wholly baseless" and argued the federal law the DOJ cites governs voter registration, not candidate eligibility or ballot design. Common Cause, represented by ACLU attorneys, has moved to intervene.

Attorney General Todd Blanche has said the department is not trying to stop certification. He said it wants ballots preserved so Alaska's officials have the information to determine whether voters were confused or misled.

Judge Gleason expedited the case and gave the DOJ until 5 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the dismissal motions. She has not yet ruled on them, and the new Times reporting is not part of the legal record in that case. The winner of the race could help decide control of the Senate.

The open questions are whether Gleason rules before Nov. 3 and whether the grand jury activity Fox's sources describe turns into charges against anyone. The Peltola campaign and the DSCC maintain there is nothing to charge.