Times report links Peltola campaign to recruiting second Dan Sullivan in Alaska

The New York Times reported Wednesday that people working with Democrat Mary Peltola's Senate campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC, the party's Senate campaign arm) took part in efforts to recruit a man named Daniel J. Sullivan into Alaska's Senate race, aiming to draw votes away from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan ¹³.

The Times based its account on interviews, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against Peltola's campaign, according to CNBC. It reported that "not only did Ms. Peltola's team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader," and that the group tried to bring other would-be spoilers into the race ³.

Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, who the newspaper reported was fired in August, told the Times that Peltola was not directly involved but was "definitely aware," CNBC reported. Rios also said that Alaskan voters need to know and that voters should get the full picture when making their decisions ³. The Times said she later tried to retract her interview with the outlet, and CNBC reported she tried to retract comments she made confirming the effort to recruit spoilers ¹³.

Both campaigns deny involvement

Peltola's campaign said in a statement: "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" ¹²³. A DSCC spokesperson said, "The DSCC is not involved with Dan J. Sullivan," and added that "Republicans have a long history of recruiting and propping up candidates in an attempt to boost their own campaigns" ¹²³.

From Channel GOPPeltola: Tariffs doubled Alaska air taxi's parts billMary Peltola · 141 plays · captioned, with the source named

Nate Adams, a spokesperson for the incumbent senator's campaign, said: "Alaskans deserve the truth." He added that "Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along" ¹².

A federal lawsuit and a fast-tracked judge

The report lands days before the Tuesday, Nov. 3, midterm election, days after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Alaska election officials over Daniel J. Sullivan's candidacy ²³. The suit says the sole purpose of his candidacy is to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan, and it seeks to block certification of the Senate result if the incumbent does not win the election and if he would have won had all votes cast for Dan J. Sullivan been cast instead for Senator Sullivan and Alaska's ranked-choice process played out accordingly ².

President Donald Trump has said he ordered the suit. "I'm the one that said 'do it,'" Trump said Friday, according to CNBC. "They have two guys ... named Dan Sullivan, so the Democrats put up a guy" ³.

U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason on Monday evening fast-tracked the case, increasing the chance she will decide before Election Day whether to dismiss it, CNBC reported. Peltola's campaign, the DSCC and Alaska election officials have asked her to dismiss the suit; the League of Women Voters of Alaska and Common Cause have also sought to intervene to oppose it ³.

Alaska election officials said they "designed the ballot to distinguish" between the two Sullivans "as much as possible" ². On the ballot, the challenger is listed as Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr., and the senator as Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent ¹³. The state's ranked-choice system lets voters rank candidates, so a vote for the challenger could transfer to the incumbent if the challenger is eliminated first ³.

That matters because Alaska is one of a handful of Senate races Democrats are targeting to win back a majority in the chamber, where they hold 47 seats to the GOP's 53, and recent polls have shown Peltola in the lead ¹. The pattern is a ballot fight now running on two tracks: a newspaper's account of recruitment and a federal judge's emergency calendar, both inside the final six days.

The Record

1. Oct 23, 2026Trump told reporters he ordered the Justice Department to sue Alaska over the Senate race ².
2. Oct 26, 2026U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason fast-tracked the government's lawsuit, agreeing to consider Peltola's request to intervene ²³.
3. Oct 28, 2026The New York Times reported that Peltola's campaign and DSCC aides helped recruit Daniel J. Sullivan ¹³.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign reportedly recruited second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race” (2026-10-28). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/oct/28/mary-peltola-dan-sulliva
2. Newsweek, “Alaska's Two Dan Sullivans Controversy Just Got More Complicated” (2026-10-28). newsweek.com/alaskas-two-dan-sullivans-controversy-just-got-
3. CNBC, “Peltola campaign aides, DSCC officials helped recruit second Dan Sullivan in Alaska race: NYT” (2026-10-28). cnbc.com/2026/10/28/mary-peltola-dan-sullivan-alaska-senate-

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