Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska initially shrugged off the Trump administration’s efforts to contest the state’s Senate election results, which involved a candidate sharing a name with the current Senator Dan Sullivan. However, things changed for her on Wednesday after a report from The New York Times surfaced, outlining allegations of a concerted attempt to manipulate the election.
The article claimed that Democratic candidate Mary Peltola’s team, along with aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, were attempting to undermine Sullivan’s reelection by bringing in a candidate with an identical name to appear on the ranked-choice voting ballot. Before the report broke, Murkowski had expressed support for this other Dan Sullivan and dismissed the legal actions initiated by the Trump administration and the Department of Justice. (RELATED: Secret Scheme To Sabotage GOP Senator Revealed After Democrat Denied Involvement: REPORT)
On October 23, she stated, “Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot. The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit.”
Alaskans don’t need any help voting for their preferred candidates, and the State of Alaska has already handled this by clearly distinguishing the candidates on this year’s ballot. The Department of Justice should never have filed this lawsuit. https://t.co/88tGvV0P8O
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) October 24, 2026
After the NYT report came to light, Murkowski condemned the alleged tactics employed by Peltola’s campaign, characterizing them as “ballot-stacking,” and emphasized that such strategies should have no role in elections.
She asserted, “Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. In contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong. Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign—what has been revealed is a pattern of lies and coverups and a culture of deception that belongs nowhere in our elections or among our elected officials.”
While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process. Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong. Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign—what has been revealed is a pattern of lies and coverups and a culture of deception that belongs nowhere in our elections or among our elected officials.
— Lisa Murkowski (@LisaForSenate) October 28, 2026
The NYT report also indicated that a political operative using a pseudonym was secretly visiting remote Alaskan communities, aiming to persuade individuals with the name “Dan Sullivan” to run for Senate. It was noted that Peltola’s campaign lawyers and DSCC staff were frequently discussing the scheme, even contemplating the creation of a fake political party to attract conservative votes.
In Alaska’s open voting system, candidates aren’t required to be vetted by a political party in order to affiliate with that party. (RELATED: Other Dan Sullivan Advances To General Election Against Incumbent Dan Sullivan)
The following Thursday, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, directed state officials within the Department of Public Safety to investigate the alleged conspiracy.
“The evidence will determine what happens next,” Dunleavy remarked. “Alaskans have a fundamental right to vote for the candidate they actually intend to support. Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections.”
Murkowski previously endorsed Peltola during her 2022 and 2024 congressional campaigns.
“I have just great respect and admiration for her,” Murkowski noted in October 2024. “I think she has done a good job for all Alaskans. I admire her ability to stand up to the different political forces that are out there and just be guided by her own sense of what is right for Alaska, and I think that our state would be well served if she were allowed to continue in this very important position in Congress.”
She also referred to Peltola as a friend, while being careful to avoid labeling her solely as a Democrat.
The Daily Caller has reached out to Murkowski’s office.
