Secret Scheme To Sabotage GOP Senator Revealed After Democrat Denied Involvement: REPORT
Former Democratic Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola's campaign reportedly plotted to sabotage Republican Alaska Sen. Dan S. Sullivan's reelection bid by recruiting a candidate with the same name, The New York Times reported Wednesday
Nicole Silverio · Oct 28, 2026 · 6 min read
Former Democratic Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign reportedly plotted to sabotage Republican Alaska Sen. Dan S. Sullivan’s reelection bid by recruiting a candidate with the same name, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
Peltola’s team actively searched for other Dan Sullivans to be on the ballot in November to boost the Democrat’s chances of winning, a review by the Times found. An operative introduced by aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) made secret trips to Alaskan communities while using a fake name and pitched his idea to would-be candidates over beers at brew pubs.
Peltola’s campaign lawyers and senior aides at the DSCC participated in regular conversations about the effort and considered forming a new political party to draw conservatives to the ballot, according to the Times.
The Times interviewed 12 people over the past two months who participated in or were told about the plan. It obtained dozens of text messages that provided updates on the effort.
The DSCC introduced a veteran Democratic operative named Jerid Kurtz to former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios and former chief of staff Anton McParland, according to the Times. Kurtz informed the team during a video call that he made contact with the other Sullivan, who lived in the village of Petersburg. He said the other Sullivan hated President Donald Trump and expressed his willingness to help Peltola win.
“Alaskan voters need to know,” former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios said. “There was a lot of speculation, and voters should get the full picture when making their decisions.”
Rios was fired in August amid a staff-shakeup. She retracted her statements on the matter shortly before the report’s publication.
Kurtz reportedly spoke on the phone with a Peltola campaign aide to say he had just arrived in Petersburg, according to the Times. Some Peltola aides worried the public would find out about their efforts, such as when he posted a photograph of the Anchorage airport on his Instagram account.
Peltola’s campaign told the Daily Caller News Foundation they had no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.