An investigation revealed that aides for Alaska Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola and the DSCC covertly recruited a name-double candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., to siphon votes from GOP incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan in the November 2026 midterms. Despite explicit denials from Peltola's campaign, Donald Trump called for legal action and directed the Department of Justice to seek to block election certification if Senator Sullivan loses.
Democratic candidate recruitment scheme
- ▪The New York Times investigation into the Peltola campaign's Dan Sullivan recruitment scheme relied on interviews with 12 sources, text messages, and internal campaign documents
- ▪A retired teacher named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. from a remote fishing village in southeastern Alaska qualified for Alaska's 2026 U.S. Senate election ballot after being targeted by a Democratic recruitment effort
- ▪The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee introduced Mary Peltola's campaign to political operative Jerid Kurtz, who ultimately recruited Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.
Democratic denials and counteraccusations
- ▪The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee accused Republicans on October 28, 2026, of a history of recruiting spoiler candidates to boost their own campaigns in Alaska, Ohio, North Carolina, and Montana
- ▪Mary Peltola's campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, stated on October 28, 2026, that it had no involvement with either Dan S. Sullivan's or Dan J. Sullivan's campaign in the Alaska Senate race
- ▪The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee stated on October 28, 2026, that it was not involved with candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. in Alaska
Additional Democratic campaign tactics
- ▪Political operative Jerid Kurtz persuaded a secondary Democratic candidate who advanced from the August 2026 Alaska primary to drop out, allowing Republican perennial candidate Gerald Heikes onto the general election ballot
- ▪Democratic operatives associated with Mary Peltola's campaign discussed establishing a new right-wing political party in Alaska to field third-party candidates and dilute Republican voter support in the 2026 election
Trump statements and federal investigation
- ▪Donald Trump directed the U.S. Department of Justice to file a lawsuit in October 2026 seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate election results if incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan loses
- ▪Donald Trump publicly stated on October 28, 2026, that Mary Peltola engaged in election fraud and perjured statements, asserting that both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. should be removed from the ballot
- ▪The U.S. Department of Justice maintains an active criminal investigation dating back several months into the circumstances surrounding Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.'s Alaska Senate candidacy
Polling in the Senate race
- ▪In an October 8–16, 2026 Data for Progress poll, Democratic candidate Mary Peltola led incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan 51 percent to 49 percent among Alaska voters
- ▪A New York Times and Siena poll showed Democratic candidate Mary Peltola leading incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan by seven percentage points among likely voters
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