2026-11-10 · contested story

Peltola-linked operatives accused of recruiting second Dan Sullivan in Alaska

In the summer of 2025, operatives connected to Alaska Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola's campaign allegedly launched an effort—internally dubbed the 'ballot composition project'—to recruit a candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, hoping to siphon votes under Alaska's open-primary, ranked-choice system. A retired Petersburg schoolteacher, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., ended up on the November ballot. The New York Times broke the story on October 28, 2026, citing interviews with 12 people, text messages, and the account of fired former campaign manager Elisa Rios, who said Peltola was 'definitely aware' though not directly involved. In response, President Trump demanded prosecution, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state probe, and the DOJ filed a lawsuit to block certification if Sullivan loses—later dismissed by a federal judge and appealed.

How each side frames it

left
"How bad was this plot? In my view, it's scummy and antidemocratic conduct. But it's routine, as ratfucking goes. Indeed, Democrats quickly cited numerous examples of Republicans engaged in lots of similar chicanery."
"Trump is trying to overturn an election that hasn't happened yet"
"Alaskans are apparently too 'busy' to comprehend what 'incumbent' means, according to Vice President JD Vance."
"if you don't think this could get extremely vicious or even violent—then you haven't been paying attention."
"the new revelations could now wind up hurting Peltola more than the other Sullivan's candidacy helps — even if it doesn't push things too far either way."
center
"even if Peltola's team engaged in ballot-stacking, it's not unprecedented. Republicans have also employed the tactic during elections."
""I'd say that there's less than a 1% chance of Decoy Dan being a spoiler" if Republicans rank their preferences"
"We have no reason to doubt the veracity of the Times' reporting. However, because we were unable to view the evidence or obtain additional confirmation from people involved, we cannot confirm its claims as of this writing."
"Legal experts say such efforts have generally been viewed as legal unless the spoiler candidate is paid to enter the race. There's been no such claim in the Alaska contest."
"Trump, Sullivan, Dunleavy and the rest will be claiming corruption and cheating if Peltola wins and if the margin of victory is close... If Sullivan wins, however, they will claim there was no corruption and no cheating"
right
"Alaska Democrats are engaged in a scurrilous dirty trick to confuse Alaska voters. That's politics at its worst, but it is not against the law."
"If you want to know what a "rigged" election looks like, look no further than the U.S. Senate primary race still underway in Alaska."
"Marc Elias, who peddled the infamous Steele Dossier in the hoax, again stands in the shadows of another scandal"
""She and her team, and at the highest levels of the DSCC, spent over a year scheming in a secret operation to trick Alaskans to get them to throw away their vote.""
""Yeah, frankly what the Democrats did in Alaska seems to be pretty dumb but ... it's not illegal," Sanders said."

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the National Review & The Center Square & Fox News Radio
The left left out — covered by the Snopes & FactCheck.org & Balls and Strikes
The right left out — covered by the Reason/Volokh & Votebeat & Mother Jones & FactCheck.org
The right left out — covered by the Boston Herald/AP & NPR & Reporting From Alaska
The center left out — covered by the The New Republic & Vox
The left left out — covered by the Newsmax & Boston Herald

What's actually true?

[contested] Operatives connected to Peltola's campaign and the DSCC worked to recruit a candidate named Dan J. Sullivan (and others) to run as spoilers against Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, in an effort internally called the 'ballot composition project.'
[verified] The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan or any other candidate.
[verified] A federal judge (U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason) dismissed the DOJ lawsuit seeking to block certification, finding the government lacked standing and that segregating ballots would be impossible without violating ballot secrecy.
[verified] The Alaska Supreme Court ruled that Dan J. Sullivan was legally qualified to run and could remain on the ballot, overturning the Division of Elections' attempt to disqualify him.
[verified] Because Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, voters confused about the two Sullivans can rank both, meaning the spoiler scheme is highly unlikely to change the outcome.
[verified] Ballot-stacking with same-name or spoiler candidates is a long-standing, bipartisan tactic, including Republican efforts to keep a prisoner on Alaska's ballot in 2024 and GOP-tied spoiler efforts in Ohio and Nevada in 2026.
[verified] The DOJ sent more than 20 target letters and issued over 100 subpoenas, including a target letter to Democratic lawyer Marc Elias, as part of a criminal probe into the recruitment effort.
[verified] Simply running a candidate with the same name as an opponent is not, by itself, a crime; prosecution would require proof of fraud, inducement (such as payment), or coercion, and legal experts say First Amendment concerns would likely bar charges.

The narrative clash

Whether the ballot-stacking tactic is unique/unprecedented or routine and bipartisan
Left: it's routine, as ratfucking goes. Indeed, Democrats quickly cited numerous examples of Republicans engaged in lots of similar chicanery.
Right: "No, both sides of the aisle don't do this," RNC election integrity communications director Ally Triolo told Fox News Digital
Whether the Democratic scheme is illegal/fraud or merely distasteful but legal
Left: What Peltola's campaign (allegedly) did might be partisan skullduggery, but it is probably not illegal, and no one is getting kicked off the ballot or going to prison over it.
Right: "This is fraudulent behavior, and they need to be held accountable to the fullest extent."
Whether the DOJ lawsuit has legal merit
Left: "The legal claim is so absurdly thin, there's essentially no likelihood of success," wrote Notre Dame Law School professor Derek Muller. "It is designed to win the press release rather than the litigation."
Right: "Therefore, the Justice Department, consistent with the National Voter Registration Act enacted by Congress, is taking the necessary steps to ensure that this frivolous candidacy does not undermine the integrity of Alaska's election or the will of its voters."
Whether voters can distinguish the two Sullivans on the ballot
Left: "I see no possibility of any literate voter being unable to distinguish the two Daniel Sullivans on the ballot," Emily L. Waters, a professor at the University of Alaska Anchorage, told Global News.
Right: "It has been abundantly clear from the get-go that this was a ploy to try to sway voters, confuse voters, take votes away from the real Sen. Dan Sullivan"
Who is actually subverting the election
Left: Trump and the DOJ are the threat: they are trying to nullify a Senate result before the votes are even counted.
Right: Democrats are the threat: they engineered a confusing ballot, which is what a rigged election looks like.

110 sources analyzed

The New Republic Inquirer.com Snopes.com Just The News The Federalist The Daily Beast The Washington Post Reporting From Alaska Boston Herald National Review MSNBC NBC News Balls and Strikes Fox Business Fox News Mother Jones Politico KCRA Boston Herald The Federalist The New Republic NBC News ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos Investor's Business Daily National Review The Daily Beast CNN Poynter The Center Square The New York Sun Mother Jones USA Today CBS Austin KEYE Reason The New York Sun The New Republic NBC News WJLA The Dispatch Fox News The Daily Beast NPR AFP Boston Herald Newsmax The Boston Globe PBS NewsHour Jefferson City News Tribune Reason Fox News The Boston Globe NPR The Free Press Just The News The New York Sun The New Republic Los Angeles Times Cleveland.com Just The News The Daily Signal The New Republic Washington Monthly WRAL Reason The Daily Signal Salon CNN Deseret News The Dispatch Washington Examiner Mother Jones Global News Anchorage Daily News Reason Magazine Newsmax Vox Semafor Democracy Now! Reason The Federalist The Boston Globe CBC FairVote Investor's Business Daily Fox News MSNBC Los Angeles Times NewsNation Boston Herald The Federalist Vox CNN Votebeat New York Post Newsmax Salon PBS NewsHour FactCheck.org The Center Square The New York Sun New York Magazine U.S. News & World Report Las Vegas Review-Journal Richmond Times-Dispatch The Daily Signal Salon NBC News Financial Times The Dispatch Newsmax

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

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