Alaska Democrats Explore a Second Candidate for Senate Race

Democrats in Alaska are reportedly working on a plan to identify another candidate named Dan Sullivan, as current Senator Daniel S. Sullivan (R-AK) faces competition from Alaska Democrat U.S. Senate candidate and former Representative Mary Peltola (D-AK).

While Peltola’s campaign has consistently stated that it had no role in the announcement of Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy, a report from the New York Times suggests otherwise. The outlet claims that “interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit” indicate Peltola’s team may have been in communication with individuals attempting to encourage Mr. Sullivan to run.

The initiative to find a second Dan Sullivan to appear on the ballot was described as the “ballot composition project.” This involved Peltola’s campaign lawyers and senior staff from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee:

According to the report, the project included covert visits to remote Alaskan communities and featured a mysterious operative from the Midwest who traveled under a pseudonym, discussing potential candidacies in local brew pubs.

Additionally, the effort engaged lawyers from Peltola’s campaign and advisers from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which oversees Senate race strategies nationwide. Regular discussions about the project occurred from Washington to Anchorage, including debates about possibly forming a new political party to pull conservative voters into the race.

Elisa Rios, a former campaign manager for Peltola, emphasized in a series of interviews that it’s important for Alaskans to be informed. While she stated Peltola “was not directly involved in the project,” Rios asserted that Peltola “was definitely aware” of it.

“There was a lot of speculation, and voters should have the complete picture when making their choices,” Rios noted.

The New York Times report emerged against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s Department of Justice looking to block certification of Alaska’s U.S. Senate race if the results are influenced by the second Dan Sullivan’s presence on the ballot. In addition to Peltola and the two Dan Sullivans, Gerald Heikes is also running for the Senate seat.

The second Dan Sullivan, characterized as liberal, previously mentioned to the New York Times that he has “voted for the Democratic nominee in the last three presidential elections and did not support the senator in his last two campaigns.”