Full Breakdown
Alleged Name-Duplication Scheme in Alaska’s U.S. Senate Race
By Drooid · · How we work
In this breakdown
01
Core Event
A New York Times report alleges that members of Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign recruited a second individual named Dan Sullivan to run against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The recruited candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher from Petersburg, filed to appear on the ballot in late May and was removed by Alaska’s elections division on June 15. The alleged recruitment was described as an effort to “confuse voters” in a race that also includes Republican Gerald Heikes and operates under ranked-choice voting.
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Background & Context
Alaska’s ranked-choice voting often yields ballots with multiple candidates, a practice sometimes called “ballot-stacking.” State officials have noted that such tactics are legal but can affect vote distribution. The 2025-2026 Senate contest has drawn scrutiny because the incumbent and the recruited candidate share identical names, a circumstance the report says was deliberately engineered.
Visual evidence
Images from the story
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Official Statements & Responses
- Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-Alaska) announced a Department of Public Safety investigation into whether the scheme violated state law.
- Rep. James Comer, chair of the House Oversight Committee, launched a congressional inquiry, asserting that “Democrats are the party of fraud” and demanding testimony from campaign insiders.
- President Donald Trump called for both Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted, arguing that voters need clear identification of the incumbent.
- Mary Peltola’s campaign denied involvement, stating that the “Alaskans for Mary” operation had no role in either Sullivan campaign and labeling the accusations a distraction from policy issues.
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Data & Statistics
- June 15: Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. was removed from the ballot after filing in late May.
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Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The Times’ account relies on interviews with Rios and unnamed operatives, while the campaign’s denial rests on a public statement without disclosed evidence.
- Alaska News Source’s fact-checking found no proof that the Petersburg candidate was recruited by Democrats, and the texts Rios purportedly provided have not been published.
- No court ruling on the legality of the recruitment has been issued; the removal of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. was based on procedural grounds rather than a determination of fraud.
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Verbatim Quotes
- “While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process,” — Sen. Lisa Murkowski
- “Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections. Anyone or any organization found to have broken the law must be held accountable,” — Gov. Mike Dunleavy
- “Democrats are the party of fraud,” — Rep. James Comer
- “At least let him use the name Sen. Dan Sullivan as opposed to incumbent, because a lot of people don’t know what incumbent means,” — Donald Trump