Peltola Denies Role in Dan Sullivan Ballot Strategy

Senate candidate Mary Peltola stated on Thursday that she played no part in a campaign effort to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to the Alaska ballot. She made the comments at a rally in Juneau, marking her first public response to a New York Times article published on Wednesday. The report alleged that Peltola’s team orchestrated a plan to confuse voters by adding a retired schoolteacher and commercial fisherman from Petersburg to the race against incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Elisa Rios, who served as Peltola’s campaign manager until her dismissal in August, spoke with New York Times reporter Kellen Browning. Rios claimed the strategy was designed to stack the ballot. She noted that the other candidate, a resident of Petersburg, shares the name of the incumbent senator. The New York Times attributed its findings to twelve former campaign staffers and Rios. Rios asked the newspaper to redact her statements before publication, a request the paper declined.

Peltola addressed the crowd at the Crystal Saloon in Juneau, expressing surprise at the media coverage. She asked when the New York Times became the National Enquirer. She told supporters she knew nothing about other candidates on the ballot except herself and the incumbent. She stated clearly that she is not interested in tricking voters. Peltola expressed confidence in her ability to defeat the incumbent without using questionable tactics. She referenced a 2022 U.S. House race against a North Pole resident who legally changed his name to Santa Claus, saying she beat that candidate.

Incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan responded to the allegations in an interview with Alaska’s News Source on Thursday. Sullivan said the Peltola described in the article matches the colleague he worked with in Washington from 2022 to 2024. He served as Alaska’s lone representative during that period. Sullivan said campaigns reveal character. He noted that Peltola’s go-to strategy in this race is lies. Sullivan questioned why she consistently lies, stating that she has no record to run on.

The article has triggered political activity in the days before the midterm general election. President Donald Trump and Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy have both floated the possibility of criminal prosecutions. Alaska’s News Source has not independently verified the claims made by the New York Times. The election is scheduled for November 3.