On Wednesday, President Donald Trump expressed his desire for both legal and political repercussions for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola. This followed a detailed report by the New York Times regarding her campaign’s connection with a second candidate, Dan J. Sullivan, who shares a name with the current Senator Dan Sullivan in Alaska.
Trump stated on Truth Social, “The Democrats in Alaska illegally searched for, and recruited, a man named Dan Sullivan to run against our distinguished Republican Senator, Dan Sullivan, to confuse voters and manipulate the election.”
He referenced a portion of the report claiming, “Democrats have insisted they have nothing to do with the other Dan Sullivan on Alaska’s Senate ballot,” yet internal communications indicated a coordinated effort involving the Mary Peltola campaign.
Trump insisted that those involved in this alleged scheme, especially Peltola, need to face serious legal consequences. “The Democrats’ false statements were made under oath in Federal Court. Therefore, they perjured themselves and should face significant repercussions. Mary Peltola’s actions represent a fraud on the American public.”
He further added, “Perpetrating such a scheme, Peltola should be barred from running. This is ELECTION FRAUD. They misled the Court about their knowledge regarding Dan Sullivan’s candidacy.”
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BREAKING: President Trump calls for Democrat operatives to be hit with PERJURY CHARGES after they LIED in federal court, saying they were NOT involved in recruiting a decoy Dan Sullivan on the Alaska ballot
Trump also said the Democrat candidate, Mary Peltola, should be… https://t.co/8GTFzsTCjP pic.twitter.com/izPuVbuyd8
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 28, 2026
The president’s remarks followed revelations that during the summer of 2025, a campaign staffer for Peltola was instructed to seek Alaskan voter records for individuals named Dan Sullivan. This resulted in a list of candidates for her campaign.
This strategy, described by some as a “ballot composition project,” reportedly involved several aides, lawyers, and senior personnel from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. The report included insights from multiple sources and documents prepared for potential legal action.
Among those investigated was Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, Alaska, who entered the race, reportedly changing his party affiliation to Republican right before submitting his candidacy.
Elisa Rios, a former campaign manager for Peltola, claimed that while Peltola may not have directly participated, she was “definitely aware” of the project. However, Rios later attempted to retract this statement, even as this information was supported by other sources.
According to reports, Democratic strategist Jerid Kurtz was involved in the campaign efforts and was said to have contacted Sullivan, who expressed a willingness to run if it would benefit Peltola.
The scheme also encompassed the recruitment of additional candidates like Gerald Heikes, who shares the ballot with Peltola and Dan S. Sullivan.
Peltola’s campaign has firmly denied any involvement in the rival Sullivan candidacy. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also refuted its connection to the candidate, asserting he entered the race independently.
The Department of Justice has been investigating the situation, issuing grand jury subpoenas to examine whether Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy aimed to confuse voters. Concurrently, a new lawsuit was filed by the DOJ in federal court, aiming to prevent the certification of election results if votes for Daniel J. Sullivan would alter the outcome against Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
