The Republican National Committee is refusing to let Democrats hide behind a 'both sides' talking point, flatly calling the Alaska Senate ballot maneuver what it is: fraudulent.
At issue is the appearance of a second Dan Sullivan on Alaska's November ballot — Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher — alongside incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. A New York Times investigation published Wednesday reported that people connected to Democratic Senate nominee Mary Peltola's campaign and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee worked to recruit the second Sullivan as part of what the paper said was internally called the "ballot composition project."
The RNC's election integrity unit is not buying the Peltola campaign's denial. An RNC official told Fox News that Democrats "have ill intentions" and are "trying to disenfranchise voters, and, of course, trying to be fraudulent" — pushing back hard on the DSCC's claim that Republicans do the same thing.
"We are doing the exact opposite of what Democrats are trying to do," the official said, pointing to Democratic opposition to the Save America Act and other election safeguards. "We couldn't be more different from Republicans versus Democrats."
The RNC says it has a major on-the-ground operation in Alaska — an in-state director, attorneys, observers and poll workers — and has been fighting the ballot setup since it surfaced.
Federal Probe Intensifies
According to Fox News, the Justice Department's criminal investigation into Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.'s appearance on the ballot has intensified. A senior DOJ official told the network that prosecutors are examining possible civil-rights violations under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241 and 242. The probe, run by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Alaska, has been underway for several months and is expected to continue past Tuesday's Election Day, with no indictment or heavy grand jury activity anticipated before voters go to the polls November 3.
The DOJ last week sued to block certification of a potential Peltola win if votes for the second Sullivan could have changed the outcome.
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, has ordered a separate state investigation. In a statement posted to social media, Dunleavy said he was directing the Department of Public Safety to "investigate whether this scheme violated Alaska's laws and whether criminal charges or civil action are warranted." He said the state Division of Elections had examined the issue in June, and that the Times reporting "substantially supports" its findings.
"Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections," Dunleavy wrote.
President Donald Trump, in posts on Truth Social Wednesday, accused Peltola and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. of election fraud and called for both to be removed from the ballot and prosecuted.
The Denials — And the Paper Trail
Peltola's campaign insists it had nothing to do with it. "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign," a spokesperson said Wednesday.
The DSCC likewise said it is "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan," and accused Republicans of a "long history of recruiting and propping up candidates," citing a 2024 Alaska House race in which the state GOP supported an effort to keep a jailed Democratic candidate on the ballot against Peltola.
But the Times report, which the paper said relied on 12 sources, text messages and documents, identified Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz as a recruiter who approached potential candidates, sometimes under an assumed name. It also reported that another Democrat withdrew after an approach from Kurtz, opening a place for Republican Gerald Heikes, who told the paper he too had been encouraged to run. Peltola's former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, told the Times that Peltola knew about the operation but did not participate directly.
On the ballot, Sen. Sullivan is listed as "Dan S. Sullivan," a registered Republican, with a note that he is the incumbent. The other man appears as "Daniel J. Sullivan Jr." with no party affiliation. In August's primary, Peltola finished first with 49.5%, Sen. Sullivan second at 41.4%, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. third at 2.5%.
Under Alaska's ranked-choice system, votes transfer when a first choice is eliminated — meaning a confusingly named candidate can siphon support in ways that are hard for voters to trace.
Control of the U.S. Senate could hinge on the outcome.
Our Take
Let's call this what it is: a ballot trick dressed up as grassroots democracy. The DSCC and Peltola's team want you to believe both parties play this game, so nobody should be upset. That's the oldest dodge in the book — and the RNC is right to refuse it.
Here's the tell. The Times reporting doesn't describe a random coincidence. It describes a recruiter working under an assumed name, a project with an internal name, and a candidate who withdrew to make room for another plant. If that's not a scheme to confuse Alaska voters, what is?
And notice who's actually doing something about it. Trump called it out. Dunleavy ordered a state probe. The DOJ sued to block certification and opened a criminal investigation. Meanwhile, Peltola's campaign offers one-line denials and a whataboutism about 2024.
Alaskans deserve a ballot they can read without a decoder ring. If Democrats recruited a second Dan Sullivan to fool voters into pulling the wrong lever, every person involved should face consequences — and every patriot should be watching what happens after November 3.
