Petersburg stories

Oct 28, 2026

Democrats recruited spoiler candidates in Alaska Senate race, NYT reports

Democratic operatives working with Mary Peltola's campaign recruited candidates with similar names to Republican Senator Dan Sullivan to appear on Alaska's Senate ballot, according to a New York Times investigation. The effort included recruiting a second Dan Sullivan to potentially siphon votes from the incumbent Republican senator.

Oct 28, 20268 sources

Top claims

▪Under Alaska's ranked-choice election system, voters can rank multiple candidates in order of preference, transferring votes from eliminated lower-tier candidates to subsequent selections.
▪Democrat David Leslie's withdrawal from the Alaska Senate race allowed candidate Gerald Heikes to claim the fourth position on the general election ballot.
▪Alaska election authorities distinguish the two namesakes on the ballot by listing the incumbent as "Sullivan, Dan S. (Registered Republican) Incumbent" and the challenger as "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr."

Topics

Trump administration 2026 U.S. midterm elections Judiciary Trump administration legal battles Elections Senate races Two Dan Sullivans in Alaska Senate race Democratic Party US midterm elections

Related entities

Dan Sullivan United States Anchorage