Report Says Democratic Aides Helped Recruit Second 'Dan Sullivan' in Alaska Senate Race

The New York Times reported Wednesday that people tied to Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) helped recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska. The Times cited text messages in describing the effort. Peltola's campaign and the DSCC deny involvement. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher, reached the four-candidate general election after winning 2.5% of the primary vote. President Donald Trump accused Democrats and Peltola's campaign of fraud and perjury, and Axios reported that Alaska's governor ordered a probe. The U.S. Department of Justice has sued to block certification of the result if the incumbent loses narrowly, arguing voters may be confused. Alaska asked a court to dismiss the suit, saying officials took steps to tell the candidates apart, including labeling the senator as the registered Republican incumbent. Nearly 1 in 10 registered Alaska voters, roughly 58,000 people, had already voted when the report appeared.

Right-leaning outlets lead with the alleged scheme. Fox News stresses the timing, the 58,000 early votes and the text-message coordination, quotes Trump-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson blaming ranked choice voting, and describes Dan J. Sullivan's campaign as having no party listing or stated positions. Breitbart instead gives Sen. Cory Booker's CNN response, which calls the story "much ado about nothing" and a Trump effort to cast doubt on an election. Left-leaning outlets agree on the Times report but frame the dispute differently. The Times headline says Democrats manipulated the ballot, while HuffPost calls the controversy a nonissue, pointing to the sample ballot and the state's court filing. Both sides cite the ballot labeling, but they draw opposite conclusions. Independent outlets differ: Reason carries law professor Rick Hasen's view that the story is a bombshell if true but does not affect the DOJ suit, and Axios leads with Trump's accusation and the governor's order.