Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign reportedly recruited second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race

Key Points:

• Alaska Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign, along with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), reportedly sought to recruit a candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, potentially splitting the GOP vote in the upcoming midterm election.
• The Republican camp has condemned this as a deceptive ploy to confuse voters and undermine Senator Sullivan’s re-election bid, while Peltola’s campaign denies direct involvement with the recruited candidate.
• The other Dan Sullivan, a retiree with little political experience, qualified for the ballot after the state supreme court ruled against his disqualification, leading to both Sullivans appearing on the general election ballot.
• Former campaign manager Elisa Rios alleged the scheme in an interview but later attempted to retract her statements, while Donald Trump amplified the controversy by calling it election fraud and opposing Peltola’s candidacy.
• The recruitment effort reportedly began in 2025 with the DSCC connecting Peltola’s team to a political operative specializing in such tactics; however, the DSCC denies involvement with the spoiler candidate, accusing Republicans of similar strategies in other races.