Peltola Campaign Recruits Rival Dan Sullivan

Alaska voters face a crowded ballot in the upcoming Senate race, a contest that has drawn national attention due to a dispute over a Republican candidate who shares the same first and last name as the incumbent. The confusion stems from a reported strategy to place a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot, a move that has now drawn scrutiny from the White House and the Justice Department.

A report published by The New York Times on Wednesday alleges that Mary Peltola's campaign played a central role in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan, a Republican, to run against incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan. The newspaper stated that it relied on 12 sources, text messages, and internal documents to detail the effort. The plan, internally dubbed the ballot composition project, was designed to find a spoiler candidate who could siphon votes from the incumbent and benefit Peltola. Members of the Peltola campaign, her lawyers, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were cited as contributors to the push.

Peltola finished first in Alaska's August primary with 49.5% of the vote. Sen. Dan Sullivan came in second with 41.4%. Dan J. Sullivan placed third with 2.5% of the vote. On the general election ballot, the incumbent is listed as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican, while the challenger is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. with no party affiliation. The Alaska Supreme Court previously ruled that nothing was illegal about Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy, even if his bid was not in good faith.

Alaskans for Mary, the Peltola campaign committee, said through a spokesperson that it has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. The DSCC told ABC News it was not involved with Dan J. Sullivan, noting that Republicans have a history of recruiting candidates to boost their own campaigns. Former Peltola staffer Elisa Rios told the Times that Peltola was definitely aware of the recruitment effort, though she later requested a retraction of those statements. Rios was fired from the campaign this past summer, days before the primary.

President Donald Trump reacted to the report on social media on Wednesday afternoon. He said Peltola should suffer the legal and political consequences for her actions and that she and Dan J. Sullivan should be kicked off the ballot. Trump described Peltola's actions as election fraud. He wrote that Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

Nate Adams, the campaign spokesperson for incumbent Sen. Sullivan, stated that Alaskans deserve the truth. He claimed that Peltola and her team have spent months gaslighting voters in an effort to deceive them. The Alaska Department of Law said the report confirmed its initial concerns but noted that placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law. The department is bound by the Alaska Supreme Court's order to keep Daniel J. Sullivan on the ballot as the third-place candidate.

The Justice Department has an active criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy. The Trump administration filed a lawsuit last week to block certification of the race if the incumbent loses narrowly, citing voter confusion. District Judge Sharon Gleason expressed skepticism of the government's strategy on Monday, pointing to the late timing of the filing as Alaskans have already begun casting their ballots.