NYT: Peltola-aligned operatives spent months recruiting candidates to peel votes from Sen. Sullivan

Effort involved people beyond namesake challenger Dan J. Sullivan, newspaper reports; Peltola not directly involved, but ‘definitely aware,’ former campaign manager says

A sample ballot showing candidates for next week’s U.S. Senate race in Alaska lists two Dan Sullivans (highlight added here to both), along with Mary Peltola, the Democrat, and a fourth candidate named Gerald Heikes. (Haven Daley/Associated Press)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

This is a developing story.

Officials with Mary Peltola’s U.S. Senate campaign worked with other operatives to coax Dan J. Sullivan and "other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory," The New York Times reported on Wednesday.

Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher with nearly the same name as Republican incumbent Dan S. Sullivan, told a Democratic operative from Ohio who is "a specialist in secret ballot maneuvers" that he was amenable to running if it would help Peltola, according to the newspaper. It was part of an effort to find as many people in Alaska named Dan Sullivan as possible.

The report cites former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios, who was fired as part of a staff shakeup in August, plus interviews with 11 other people and documents obtained earlier this year. The article also notes Rios told the newspaper last week she wanted to retract all of her comments, but the Times refused what it called a rare request involving on-the-record interviews.

Rios, before her retraction request, said Peltola was not directly involved in the candidate recruitment project, but was “definitely aware” of it, according to the Times.

The Times also noted the Peltola campaign and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) "denied participating in efforts to recruit spoilers to the ballot in Alaska," but both declined to address a detailed list of questions. Dan J. Sullivan has also denied running on behalf of the Peltola campaign, but declined to respond to questions from the Times.

Peltola’s campaign, in response to inquiries from the Juneau Independent on Wednesday, issued a statement declaring “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. Like Mary, our campaign is focused on lowering costs and fixing the rigged system in DC." The campaign also provided as "background" a list of alleged incidents of Republicans "propping up third party ‘spoiler’ candidates."

Dan J. Sullivan did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Juneau Independent about the Times story.

The story comes in the midst of a lawsuit by the Trump administration seeking to halt certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race if incumbent Republican Dan S. Sullivan loses by fewer votes than Dan J. Sullivan receives. The lawsuit claims Dan J. Sullivan is a sham candidate whose only purpose is to confuse voters. That claim was also made when the Alaska Division of Elections removed him from the ballot this summer, but the Alaska Supreme Court reversed the action and declared his candidacy legitimate.

The Peltola campaign and DSCC are seeking to intervene in the lawsuit that names the state as a defendant. A ruling on those motions is expected Wednesday.

The Times story published six days before the Nov. 3 election adds further controversy to what is already one of the most closely watched candidate races in the country, since Peltola and Dan S. Sullivan are in a close contest that could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate during the final two years of President Donald Trump’s second term. Recent polls generally show Peltola with a slight lead that is within the margin of error.

The newspaper also generated controversy in September with a story reporting abusive behavior by Peltola toward staff, and use of slurs and profanity toward other people outside that circle. Critics denounced the largely anonymous sources used for the story, with some also noting other prominent Alaska politicians have behaved similarly, while it has become a frequent point of reference by Dan S. Sullivan and his supporters.

It is not unusual for campaign and political party organizations to recruit and boost candidates outside their party in an attempt to win an election — and such efforts generally are legal. Republican Party entities, for instance, have often funded and otherwise supported Green Party candidates they hope will draw votes away from Democratic candidates.

In Alaska this year, Republicans have taken actions to boost the U.S. House candidacy of Eric Hafner, a New York prison inmate running as a Democrat.

"Ballot ‘stacking’ is a common practice, especially in Alaska’s unusual nonpartisan, top-four voting system. Both parties have recruited fringe candidates this cycle and in previous years, hoping to siphon off votes," The Hill reported on Wednesday.

The Alaska Supreme Court, in its ruling putting Dan J. Sullivan back on the ballot, ruled the state’s authority is limited to whether a candidate meets age, residency and other constitutional requirements for the office — and intent is not among those. The state and others opposing the Trump administration’s lawsuit assert the federal government does not have the authority to intervene in a state election.

The Times report states the Peltola campaign’s effort to recruit other candidates began in the summer of 2025 when Rios and former Petola chief of staff Anton McParland met with Jerid Kurtz, described as a DSCC "specialist in secret ballot maneuvers." The story said Kurtz reported Dan J. Sullivan’s willingness to participate in the race in early 2026. He officially entered in May.

"He said Mr. Sullivan ‘said he hated Trump, and if it was going to help Mary, he liked Mary. He didn’t have any interest in being a politician, but if this could help,’" the newspaper reported.

The Times report states other Alaskans were approached about being candidates, but names only one other person — Matthew Salisbury of Anchorage — and notes he declined Kurtz’s urgings to run. The article also notes Peltola campaign staff considered other ideas as part of "a multipronged strategy," including a right-wing MAGA state party that would lure conservative voters.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.