NY Times admits Dem operatives are behind effort to recruit ‘spoiler’ Alaska candidate with same name as GOP Sen Dan Sullivan

The Times reviewed text messages and documents from the Summer of 2025 in which a staffer for Peltola received instructions from campaign staff to find as many people named Dan Sullivan in the state as possible. The effort, internally referred to as the “ballot composition project,” involved secret trips made by an operative who travelled the state using a fake name to find potential spoiler candidates to run in Alaska’s Senate race.

The operation also involved Peltola campaign lawyers and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) aides, who participated in regular discussions about recruiting candidates to dilute support for the incumbent Republican senator, the report stated. In one early meeting, DSCC aides introduced Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz to Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, and Anton McParland, who was then Peltola’s chief of staff.

In early 2026, Kurtz told members of the ballot composition team that he had contacted a man named Dan Sullivan. Kurtz said the man was open to running if it would help Peltola. He reportedly said he “hated Trump” and did not have “any interest in being a politician.”

The candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from a fishing village accessible only by air and sea, ultimately entered the race. He said that he entered the race voluntarily.

Federal Election Commission records show that 49th State PAC, a pro-Peltola super PAC, paid Wingspan Strategies, which is co-owned by Kurtz, approximately $87,000. The PAC denied hiring or paying Kurtz for any services.

Text messages reviewed by The Times showed DSCC officials and Peltola campaign staff communicating about the project for months. McParland reportedly requested updates from Kurtz, referring to him as “our friend.” The message also showed DSCC officials quickly arranged calls that Rios regularly participated in.

Rios, who was fired from the campaign in August, said that members of the calls chatted casually, and that Kurtz would sometimes describe his tactics, including using pseudonyms and cover stories to conceal his activities. Peltolta’s aides also expressed concerns that his efforts could be exposed.

The operation took advantage of Alaska’s nonpartisan primary system, under which candidates can list a party affiliation without being vetted by the party itself. That allowed Dan J. Sullivan to secure a place on the ballot.

Now, with Peltola as the only Democrat in the race, she is set to face two candidates named Dan Sullivan, potentially creating confusion among voters choosing between the incumbent Republican senator and the other candidate.

Rios said voters deserved to know how Democrats were involved in recruiting the challenger.

“Alaskan voters need to know,” Rios said. “There was a lot of speculation, and voters should get the full picture when making their decisions.”

Rios added that Peltola was not directly involved in the project but was “definitely aware of it.”

The party that has emphasized a need to “defend democracy” has downplayed involvement in the scheme. Both Peltola and the DSCC denied participating in efforts to recruit spoiler candidates. Peltola’s campaign said in a statement, “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign and did not recruit any candidates into the race.”

Republicans have sought to remove Dan J. Sullivan from the ballot by arguing that he was not a good-faith candidate. They also highlighted how he switched his unaffiliated voter registration to Republican shortly before the filing deadline. Sullivan has since switched his registration again from Republican to “undeclared.”

In June, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected the challenge, ruling that neither state law nor the Constitution had a basis for removing the other Sullivan.

The Times also reported that Democratic operatives celebrated the legal victory. DSCC employee Shelbi Dantic wrote in an internal group chat, “Other Dan won, will be on the ballot.” Two Peltola aides and a DSCC staff member responded with heart emojis.

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week seeking to block certification of the election results if the non-incumbent Sullivan wins.