Peltola campaign aides helped recruit second Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate Race, NYT reports
A campaign that needs voters confused isn’t confident in its message. Should Christians reward one that is?
FEATUREDNEWS
10/29/20262 min read
Why it matters: Alaskans were told for months that the second Dan Sullivan was just a coincidence. Now The New York Times says Democrats went shopping for him. So why did it take the Times for anyone to call it news?
The big picture: The Times reports that people tied to Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign and national Senate Democrats searched voter records for men named Dan Sullivan. Insiders called it the “ballot composition project.” It put Dan J. Sullivan, a retired Petersburg teacher, on the ballot against Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.
By the Numbers
• 12 interviews, plus dozens of texts, behind the Times report.
• $0 raised by the decoy Sullivan as of June, with no firm campaign plans.
• 0 campaign events we could find any evidence he has held.
• 6 days from the story to Election Day.
Meanwhile: The decoy Sullivan once turned down an interview because he had to go salmon fishing. The king salmon were running. Priorities.
What’s Happening Now
• Alaska: Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered a state probe into possible criminal or civil violations.
• DOJ: It sued to block certification of a Peltola win if the decoy Sullivan stays on the ballot.
• Feds: Prosecutors are reportedly issuing subpoenas in a criminal probe.
What they’re saying: Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios said Peltola was “definitely aware.”
The other side: Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC deny it. Read the denials closely, though. Peltola’s campaign says it has “no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” Neither one denies going looking for him. That’s the mob boss swearing he wasn’t the one who pulled the trigger.
The Bottom Line
Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan’s campaign called this a setup from day one. Most of the media shrugged until the Times confirmed it.
Flip the parties. If Republicans had recruited a decoy Mary Peltola, how long before the media called it January 6th all over again?
Turns out it’s a conspiracy theory right up until the Times prints the texts.
The Faith Check
“A good name is more desirable than great riches” (Proverbs 22:1). So what do you call a plan that only works if you borrow somebody else’s? “Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out” (Proverbs 10:9). The texts got found. Crooked paths usually do. So here’s the question for every Christian voter: Should we vote for a party whose own Senate committee, the Times reports, helped run a plan to win by deceiving voters?
You should probably know: Alaska’s top-four primary was sold as a way to take party bosses out of elections. Instead, it made the ballot easier to game. When the system rewards confusion, why are we surprised someone went shopping for it?
Original reporting by The New York Times.
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