2.5%: The Vote Share Behind Alaska's Senate Ballot Dispute

Dan J. Sullivan captured 2.5% of the vote in Alaska's August primary, a number that has now become central to a growing dispute over the integrity of the state's November Senate race.

A New York Times report published Wednesday alleges that members of the campaign for Democratic candidate Mary Peltola, along with her lawyers and senior aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, actively recruited Sullivan to run. The report describes this effort as the "ballot composition project," aimed at placing a spoiler candidate on the ballot to siphon votes from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The newspaper based its findings on 12 sources, text messages, and documents. It states that Peltola was not directly involved in the recruitment but was "definitely aware" of the effort, according to former staffer Elisa Rios. However, the Times reported that Rios later requested a retraction of her statements without explaining why. Rios was fired from the campaign this summer, just days before the primary.

Alaskans for Mary, Peltola's campaign committee, issued a statement through a spokesperson on Wednesday saying it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." The DSCC told ABC News in a statement that it was "not involved with Dan J. Sullivan." The committee argued that Republicans have a history of recruiting candidates to boost their own campaigns, citing a 2024 incident where the state Republican Party supported a Democratic House candidate in federal prison to challenge Peltola's reelection.

The general election ballot lists the incumbent as Dan S. Sullivan, a registered Republican. The challenger is listed as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation noted. This distinction has fueled Republican claims for months that the similar names are designed to confuse voters.

President Donald Trump responded to the report in a social media post Wednesday afternoon. He called for Peltola to "suffer the Legal and Political consequences" and said she and the other Sullivan should be removed from the ballot. Trump labeled the situation "election fraud" and wrote, "Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot."

Nate Adams, campaign spokesperson for Sen. Sullivan, said in a statement that "Alaskans deserve the truth." He claimed the Peltola campaign has "spent months gaslighting Alaskans" to "deceive" voters.

The Department of Justice has an active criminal investigation into the circumstances of Dan J. Sullivan's candidacy. The Alaska Department of Law stated on Wednesday that the Times report confirmed its initial concerns but did not impact ongoing DOJ litigation. It noted that placing candidates on the ballot is a matter of state law, not federal law, and that the Alaska Supreme Court ordered the candidate's inclusion on the primary ballot.

Alaska courts previously evaluated the dispute and found nothing illegal about Sullivan's bid, even if it was not in "good faith" or an attempt to "confuse and mislead." The Times reported that ballot-stacking tactics are common in politics and widely considered legal.

The Trump administration filed a lawsuit last week to block certification of the race if Sen. Sullivan narrowly loses. District Judge Sharon Gleason, who handles the case, signaled skepticism of the government's strategy on Monday, highlighting the last-minute nature of the filing as Alaskans have already begun voting.