Ex-Peltola Aide Alleges Candidate Knew About Recruiting the ‘Other Dan Sullivan’
28th October 2026
My, what a surprise.
The campaign of Alaska Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan to enter the race to draw votes away from her Republican opponent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, the New York Times reported Wedmesday.
According to the Times, Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager and longtime aide who was fired in August, said Peltola was “definitely aware” of the plot to recruit Dan J. Sullivan, who is running as an independent in the closely watched race that could help decide control of the Senate.
The plot, beginning in the summer of 2025, reportedly involved Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
“Alaskan voters need to know,” Rios told the Times. “There was a lot of speculation, and voters should get the full picture when making their decisions.”
“The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race,” the campaign wrote in a statement to the Times.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also told the Times that it had “no involvement” in recruiting the other Sullivan “or any other Republican candidate.” The committee did not immediately respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.
Last Friday, the Justice Department sued Alaska to block certification of the state’s U.S. Senate race . The administration alleged in an Oct. 23 complaint that the presence of Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot caused confusion.
“The sole purpose of [Dan J. Sullivan’s] candidacy is to benefit the Peltola campaign by reducing the number of votes for Senator Sullivan,” the DOJ complaint said.
ATQUE: Report: Peltola Allies Sought Sullivan Namesakes in Alaska
ATQUE: Alaska Democrats’ Sullivan Senate Scheme to Dupe Voters Confirmed by NY Times
ATQUE: NYT: Democrats purposefully added multiple “Dan Sullivans” to the Alaska ballot to confuse GOP voters (Not the Bee)