Peltola Campaign Linked to Alaska Ballot Strategy

A New York Times investigation published Wednesday details a coordinated effort by the campaign of Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to recruit spoiler candidates. The strategy aimed to peel votes away from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan by placing other candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot.

The operation, internally labeled the ballot composition project, began in the summer of 2025. A Peltola staffer was tasked with scanning state voter rolls to identify Alaskans sharing the incumbent's name. This effort resulted in Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and left-leaning voter from Petersburg, switching his registration to Republican just before filing his candidacy.

Jerid Kurtz, a Democratic operative, served as a central figure in the recruitment drive. According to the report, he traveled across the state using aliases such as Zane. He met potential recruits in local pubs and diners, offering financial backing to persuade conservative and independent candidates to run. The goal was to divide the right-leaning vote among multiple names on the ballot.

Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager who was fired in August, told the Times that Peltola was definitely aware of the project. Rios said Alaskan voters need to know the full picture. Although she later attempted to retract her comments, the newspaper noted that text messages, internal documents, and 11 other sources corroborated her initial statements.

The campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee deny direct involvement in recruiting the Republican candidates. In a statement, the Peltola campaign said it had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. The DSCC argued that Republicans have a long history of recruiting candidates to boost their own campaigns, citing specific instances from this cycle.

President Donald Trump responded to the report on Truth Social, calling the situation election fraud. He wrote that Peltola should not be allowed to keep her name on the ballot. Trump also suggested that the second Dan Sullivan should be removed from the race, stating that the Democrats lied to the court about their knowledge of the strategy.

The report also describes an abandoned plan to create a third-party MAGA party to siphon votes. Campaign advisors and the DSCC weighed this option before dropping it in May. An attorney for the DSCC and Peltola, Jacquelyn Lopez, was involved in discussions regarding this strategy. Internal messages showed staff coordinating with Lopez on the third-party efforts.

The revelation arrives just days before Election Day. A Justice Department lawsuit seeks to block certification of the election if the incumbent Sullivan loses due to voter confusion. Under Alaska’s four-person general election system, Peltola will face Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, Dan J. Sullivan, and drywall contractor Gerald Heikes on Tuesday’s ballot.