Somewhere in a remote Alaskan fishing village — one accessible only by air or sea — a retired teacher named Dan J. Sullivan got a visit from a mysterious operative using a fake name. The pitch happened at a brew pub. The ask was simple: put your name on the ballot for U.S. Senate.
Not because Dan J. Sullivan wanted to be a senator. Because he had the same name as a Republican candidate running for the Senate.
The New York Times reported on October 28 that Democrat operatives ran what they internally called a "ballot composition project" — a coordinated effort to recruit decoy candidates who would split Republican votes in Alaska's Senate race. Dan J. Sullivan, who has held no campaign events, given few interviews, and previously voted for Democrat candidates, was placed on the ballot opposite incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. The goal wasn't to win. It was to confuse enough voters that the real Sullivan loses.
The Times investigation drew on testimony from 12 people involved in the operation. The scheme went beyond one fake candidate. Gerald Heikes was also allegedly recruited to crowd the Republican side of the ballot. Secret trips to remote Alaskan communities. Recruitment at brew pubs. An operative who wouldn't use his real name. This wasn't a grassroots candidacy that happened to share a name. This was manufactured.
Elisa Rios, former campaign manager for Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola, told the Times that Peltola was "definitely aware" of the activities. Peltola's campaign has denied direct involvement in recruiting Dan J. Sullivan. The Times characterized the operation as "much broader" than that denial suggests.
President Trump responded on October 28 by calling for Peltola to face prosecution over the scheme.
The defense, when it comes, will lean on the fact that anyone can legally file to run for office. That's true. But the "ballot composition project" wasn't about civic participation. A retired teacher from a village you need a bush plane to reach didn't independently decide to challenge an incumbent senator. He was found, recruited by someone operating under a false identity, and placed on the ballot as a tool. The operative used a fake name for a reason.
Alaska's ranked-choice voting system already makes ballot strategy a blood sport. Adding a duplicate name to the mix isn't creative politics. It's the electoral equivalent of putting two identical products on a shelf and hoping the customer grabs the wrong one. Except the product is a United States senator.
Peltola faces three Republican opponents in this race. If your path to victory requires inventing extra Republicans rather than persuading voters to choose you, the campaign has already answered the question it's trying to avoid.
Twelve people knew about the operation. One of them was the candidate's own campaign manager. The candidate was "definitely aware."