NYT Report Says Peltola Allies Recruited Second 'Dan Sullivan'; DOJ Suit Over Alaska Ballot

A New York Times investigation published this week reported that people tied to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Alaska's Republican incumbent, Sen. Dan Sullivan. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, reached the four-candidate general election after winning 2.5% of the primary vote. The Times cited text messages and a former Peltola campaign manager. President Donald Trump accused Democrats and Peltola's campaign of fraud and perjury on Wednesday, and Alaska's governor ordered a probe. The Justice Department has sued to block certification of the result if the incumbent loses, arguing the ballot may mislead voters. Alaska asked a court to dismiss the suit, saying officials took significant steps to distinguish the two men, including labeling the senator a registered Republican incumbent. Nearly 1 in 10 registered Alaska voters, roughly 58,000 people, had already voted when the report appeared. Alaska uses ranked choice voting.

Right-leaning outlets lead with accusations of wrongdoing. Breitbart relays Sullivan's Hannity interview, in which he called the effort a secret scheme and corruption at the highest level and cited Attorney General Todd Blanche's view that it should be illegal. Fox News stresses timing, the 58,000 early votes, Dan J. Sullivan's sparse campaign website, and a Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate blaming ranked choice voting. Left-leaning outlets differ in tone. The New York Times headline says Democrats manipulated the ballot, while HuffPost calls the controversy a non-issue because the sample ballot makes the candidates easy to tell apart, and it notes the state's argument that there was no evidence of problems. Both sides accept the Times' central reporting; they differ on whether voter confusion is real. Alternative outlets add a legal angle: Reason, quoting election law expert Rick Hasen, says the report doesn't affect the DOJ suit, which he expects to fail, while Axios reports Trump's reaction and the governor's probe.