A Democrat Alaska Senate candidate’s campaign sought out and convinced a retired teacher with the same name as her Republican opponent to put his name on the ballot in an apparent effort to dupe voters, review of communications and interviews reveal.
Interviews, text messages, and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit obtained by The New York Times reportedly prove that Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign:
- Instructed a staffer to find as many people in Alaska named Dan Sullivan (the Republican candidate) as possible.
- Compiled a list of Alaskan Dan Sullivans, based on voter records.
- Employed an operative using a fake name to travel to, and meet with, each Dan Sullivan to convince him to declare himself a Senate candidate.
- Persuaded a retired teacher named Dan Sullivan living in a tiny fishing village accessible only by air and sea to announce his candidacy for the state’s Senate.
- Involved the Peltola campaign’s lawyers and senior aides at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).
- Dubbed the scheme “the ballot composition project.”
Not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but “the effort was much broader,” The Times reports:
“The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory.”
Peltola was “definitely aware” of the scheme, though she did not actively participate in it, Peltola’s longtime aide and former Campaign Manager Elisa Rios told The Times.
While the Peltola campaign and the DSCC denied the scheme to The Times, neither would answer any of the questions the publication posed.
