Democratic operatives close to Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola ran a coordinated scheme to recruit a spoiler candidate sharing the incumbent Republican's name — and Peltola herself was "definitely aware," according to a New York Times investigation built on text messages, internal documents, and a dozen insider interviews. The revelation confirms what Republicans alleged from the start: the uniparty will engineer ballot confusion rather than risk a fair fight with voters.
The operation, internally dubbed the "ballot composition project," directed campaign staff to comb voter rolls for every Alaskan named Dan Sullivan. The goal was simple — find one willing to run, split the Republican vote, and hand Peltola the seat. Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz, who traveled the state under the alias "Zane" pitching potential recruits over beers, ultimately found his man: Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a remote fishing village. According to former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios, Kurtz reported that the recruit "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 scheme reached well beyond Peltola's inner circle. Peltola's campaign lawyers and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee participated in regular discussions about the effort for months, text messages show. The DSCC denied involvement. Federal Election Commission records show 49th State PAC, a pro-Peltola super PAC, paid Wingspan Strategies — co-owned by Kurtz — approximately $87,000. The PAC denied hiring or paying Kurtz for any services related to the recruitment.
Rios, fired in August and now preparing a lawsuit against the campaign, told the Times that Peltola "was not directly involved in the project" but was "definitely aware." Rios later attempted to retract all her statements. HotAir reported the retraction came after what appeared to be a settlement negotiation, but the Times stood by its reporting, citing nearly a dozen corroborating sources plus documentary evidence.
Peltola's campaign continues to deny any involvement. "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," a spokesperson said, pointing reporters to examples of Republican spoiler efforts elsewhere. The Guardian framed the denials alongside the caveat that "Republicans have a long history" of similar tactics — a framing that buries the substance of what Peltola's own former staff admitted.
The so-called "Decoy Dan" is registered as a Republican but voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections, attended a "No Kings" rally, and kept a Che Guevara magnet on his refrigerator, according to the New York Post. Alaska's nonpartisan primary system — which allows candidates to list a party affiliation without party vetting — made the gambit possible. Election authorities attempted to disqualify him, but the state supreme court ruled he could remain on the ballot. The ballot will now list "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent" alongside "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr."
President Trump called the scheme "election fraud" on Truth Social and said Peltola "should not be allowed to run." The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit seeking to block certification of results "tainted by the inclusion" of the second Sullivan.
The open question: if a campaign can weaponize a candidate's name to manufacture confusion — with lawyers, party committees, and dark-money PACs all in on the grift — what exactly counts as election interference?
