The Aporia
The Aporia
Soave, R. (2026, October 28). To Confuse Voters, Mary Peltola's Campaign Recruited a Second Dan Sullivan. Reason. https://reason.com/2026/10/28/to-confuse-voters-mary-peltolas-campaign-recruited-a-second-dan-sullivan/
Soave, Robby. “To Confuse Voters, Mary Peltola's Campaign Recruited a Second Dan Sullivan.” Reason, 28 Oct. 2026, https://reason.com/2026/10/28/to-confuse-voters-mary-peltolas-campaign-recruited-a-second-dan-sullivan/.
Soave, Robby. “To Confuse Voters, Mary Peltola's Campaign Recruited a Second Dan Sullivan.” Reason, October 28, 2026. https://reason.com/2026/10/28/to-confuse-voters-mary-peltolas-campaign-recruited-a-second-dan-sullivan/.
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Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign in Alaska is under intense scrutiny after a New York Times report revealed that her allies were involved in recruiting another Republican named Dan J. Sullivan to run against incumbent GOP Senator Dan Sullivan, potentially siphoning votes from the incumbent and benefiting Peltola’s campaign. The effort was internally referred to as the "ballot composition project," with sources including text messages and documents showing involvement from Peltola's staff and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) aides.
Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who was fired in August, told the New York Times that she initially reported on this scheme but later attempted to retract her statements. She confirmed that Peltola was "definitely aware" of the recruitment effort, despite previous denials by the campaign.
President Donald Trump has called for Alaska to change its ballot and demanded that Mary Peltola either drop out of the race or face criminal prosecution, alleging voter fraud and confusion. However, it is unclear under which law those involved could be prosecuted as Dan J. Sullivan met all legal requirements to run for office.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has also criticized the Democratic effort, highlighting a history of similar tactics by Democrats in various states, including an instance involving Peltola’s own 2024 House re-election campaign where Republicans supported efforts to challenge her candidacy.
Peltola's campaign committee, Alaskans for Mary, maintains that it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," but this statement contradicts the evidence detailed by The New York Times. This controversy is expected to significantly impact voter perceptions and turnout in next week’s midterm election.
