In the final stretch of an election season, a dispute has surfaced in Alaska that turns on a very old human fear: that the ballot itself can be bent against the voter. A New York Times report, which Sen. Dan Sullivan seized on and amplified on Fox News, alleges that Mary Peltola's campaign and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides quietly recruited a second man named Dan Sullivan to muddy the choice before Alaskans. Peltola's camp rejects the account as a distraction, and the claims so far rest largely on the reporting and on Sullivan's own characterizations, while federal auth
Sen. Sullivan Calls Alleged Alaska Ballot Scheme a 'Scandal at the Highest Order' Targeting Peltola Campaign
"A scandal at the highest order," says Sullivan; Peltola calls it a distraction
Mark
Start with the basic claim. What is Sullivan actually saying happened?
Mimi
That Peltola's campaign and senior DSCC aides spent a year secretly recruiting a second Dan Sullivan, so voters would split their support and the incumbent would lose votes.
Mark
And the second Sullivan is real, on the ballot?
Mimi
Yes. "Sullivan, Dan S." is the senator. "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr." is a retired schoolteacher. They sit next to each other.
Luke
Let's separate layers. The ballot fact is solid. The claim that Peltola's campaign and the DSCC orchestrated it comes from a New York Times report, and in this piece mostly from Sullivan's own characterization.
Mark
So he's a party to the dispute.
Luke
He's the opponent. "Lying for almost a year" and "caught" are his words, not findings.
Mimi
Peltola's side denies it. She called it a distraction, and her campaign said Alaskans for Mary has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.
Mark
What about the federal angle?
Mimi
The Justice Department is moving to delay certification, and two unnamed sources told Fox prosecutors are running an aggressive criminal investigation into how the second Sullivan got on the ballot.
Luke
Note the limits. Unnamed sources, no charges described, and nothing here says what investigators have found. Also, we don't know what the Times relied on from this text alone.
Mark
So what's genuinely unknown?
Luke
Whether anyone broke a law, who did what, and whether the schoolteacher knew of any outside effort. Those are open.
El Pulso
- A senator calls a ballot-name tactic a scandal of the highest order, and the accusation lands on live television just days before voters decide control of the Senate.
- Two men now share the same name on Alaska's ballot, and the closeness of that shared name has become the center of a fight over whether it was engineered.
- Federal prosecutors are reportedly running an aggressive criminal inquiry, while the Justice Department moves to delay certification of the Senate results.
- Peltola's campaign denies any involvement and calls the reporting a distraction, leaving the question unresolved and the outcome hanging on what evidence surfaces next.
In the final stretch of an election season, a dispute has surfaced in Alaska that turns on a very old human fear: that the ballot itself can be bent against the voter. A New York Times report, which Sen. Dan Sullivan seized on and amplified on Fox News, alleges that Mary Peltola's campaign and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee aides quietly recruited a second man named Dan Sullivan to muddy the choice before Alaskans. Peltola's camp rejects the account as a distraction, and the claims so far rest largely on the reporting and on Sullivan's own characterizations, while federal authorities are reportedly looking into how the second name reached the ballot.
On Wednesday night, Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Alaska Republican, went on Sean Hannity's show and called an alleged ballot scheme a scandal of the highest order. He was responding to a New York Times report that said the campaign of his Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had spent months secretly recruiting another man named Dan Sullivan to run. The stated goal, according to the Times, was to confuse voters who meant to choose the incumbent and pull their support away from him in a race that could help decide Senate control.
The ballot does list two men with that name: the incumbent, and Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired schoolteacher. The Justice Department is moving to delay certification of the results because the two names sit side by side. Sullivan told Hannity that Peltola and DSCC leaders had been lying for almost a year, and he accused them of contempt for Alaskans and hypocrisy for running on corruption while working with Washington insiders.
Peltola has rejected the report, calling it "just another distraction" and suggesting the Times wanted to sell newspapers. Her campaign says the Alaskans for Mary effort has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. Two unnamed sources have told Fox News that federal prosecutors are pursuing a criminal investigation into how the second name got on the ballot, though no charges have been described. What comes next depends on the certification fight, the investigation, and whether evidence beyond the Times account and Sullivan's accusations comes to light.
On Wednesday night, Sen. Dan Sullivan, the Alaska Republican, went on Sean Hannity's Fox News program and called what he described as a ballot scheme "a scandal at the highest order." He was responding to a New York Times report published earlier that day. The Times reported that the campaign of his Democratic challenger, Mary Peltola, and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee took part in a secret, months-long effort to recruit someone named Dan Sullivan to run in the Alaska U.S. Senate race.
According to the Times account, the aim was to confuse voters. With two Dan Sullivans on the ballot, some people hoping to vote for the incumbent might mark the wrong name, and that would draw support away from the Republican senator. The Senate race in Alaska is seen as one that could help decide which party controls the chamber.
The ballot does list two men with that name. The incumbent appears as "Sullivan, Dan S." The other is "Sullivan, Daniel J. Jr.," a retired schoolteacher. The Justice Department is moving to delay certification of Alaska's U.S. Senate results because the two names sit side by side.
Sullivan's account on Hannity was blunt. He said Peltola, her team, and people at the highest levels of the DSCC spent over a year in a secret operation to trick Alaskans into throwing away their votes. "They've been lying for almost a year about it, and now they're caught," he told Hannity. He also said it showed "total contempt" for Alaskans and accused Peltola of hypocrisy. In his words, she has run a campaign about corruption while working with D.C. insiders to deceive voters.
He went further on motive, arguing that her campaign had "nothing to run on" and calling her far-left. He said he has a much stronger record. Voters who recognize that, he said, lead the other side to conclude they have to cheat. He also framed the stakes nationally: because the Alaska seat could determine Senate control, he said, this is not just about Alaska but about America.
Peltola has rejected the reporting. She called it "just another distraction" and said the Times published it to "sell newspapers." Her campaign has maintained its innocence. Earlier it told Fox News, in part, that the Alaskans for Mary campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." Fox News Digital said it reached out to the campaign for further comment on Sullivan's remarks.
There is also a law enforcement thread. Two sources familiar with the matter told Fox News that federal prosecutors are running an "aggressive criminal investigation" into how the second Sullivan got onto Alaska's ballot. The sources are unnamed, and no charges have been described in the reporting.
Sullivan closed by saying he intends to make sure every Alaskan hears about it. "We are campaigning 24/7," he said, and he is telling voters not to let their vote be stolen. What to watch now is the Justice Department's move on certification, the progress of the federal investigation, and whether evidence beyond the Times report and Sullivan's characterizations emerges to support or undercut the allegations.
Citas Notables
This is a scandal at the highest order.— Sen. Dan Sullivan, on Hannity
The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.— Peltola campaign statement to Fox News
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Politics & Governance