Alaska’s Senate contest has taken an extraordinary turn, with Trump-endorsed incumbent Dan Sullivan facing Democratic challenger Mary Peltola—and another candidate who shares his name.
Republicans argue that the second Dan Sullivan is a liberal-backed spoiler and have branded him “Decoy Dan.” A New York Times investigation now reports that the campaign to recruit name-alike candidates did, in fact, exist.
According to the Times, a staff member working for Peltola was directed to identify as many people named Dan Sullivan as possible.
The effort eventually produced a candidate. This spring, a retired teacher from a small fishing community announced a Senate bid using the name Dan Sullivan.
The two candidates are distinguished only by their middle initials. The incumbent referred to by Trump as the “real” Dan Sullivan is Dan S. Sullivan, while the challenger’s full name is Dan J. Sullivan.
Peltola’s campaign has denied playing any role in his candidacy.
However, the Times reported that interviews, text messages and documents point to a broader effort involving Peltola’s team. The investigation alleges that campaign officials sought to recruit multiple people named Dan Sullivan in an attempt to improve her prospects.
The operation was reportedly known as the Ballot Composition Project. It allegedly involved a “mysterious Midwestern operative” who traveled around Alaska and approached potential recruits, including while socializing with them in local bars.
Trump ordered a lawsuit against Alaska if the “real” Dan Sullivan fails to win the Senate race
The New York Times investigation reported that Democrats sought Alaskans named Dan Sullivan to enter the race
Democratic candidate Mary Peltola is challenging Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan
Attorneys connected to the Peltola campaign and senior figures within the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee were also reportedly involved in the effort.
The investigation said Democrats even explored creating a separate political party as another way to attract Republican voters.
The revelations emerged after President Trump directed the Justice Department to sue Alaska in an unusual attempt to prevent certification of the Senate election results if Sullivan is defeated.
“I’m the one that said do it,” Trump told reporters Friday while arriving in Florida for a campaign rally. His comments confirmed that he had personally backed the lawsuit filed by his administration last Thursday.
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Trump has repeatedly accused Democrats of placing a rival candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. on the ballot to divert votes from the sitting senator.
Vice President JD Vance reinforced that argument Tuesday. “When you put a person on the ballot explicitly to try to confuse voters, I think that’s the definition of electoral fraud. And I don’t think that we should endorse it,” he told reporters.
A spokesperson for the Sullivan campaign told Our News Outlet: “Not one player in this operation has acted in good faith with Alaska voters. Mary Peltola and her campaign have spent months gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along.
“We always knew this was a concerted effort to deceive Alaskans, and Mary Peltola was hoping it would stay covered up until after the election.”
Our News Outlet has contacted the Peltola campaign and the DSCC for comment.
Trump visited Alaska earlier this month to campaign alongside Sullivan and support his re-election effort.
During the visit, he again promised to give every adult American $5,000, while adding a condition to the proposal.
Trump said he would provide “all adult citizens in the United States $5,000” if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November.
“You gotta spend it in the United States of America,” the president added. “I don’t want you going to China.”
He had made the same pledge at earlier appearances, including the Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas in September, where he called the proposal the “Trump Dividend.”
The extraordinary promise caught some of Trump’s strongest supporters off guard.
A sample Alaska ballot in Anchorage shows both candidates named Daniel Sullivan
Joe Lonsdale, the Palantir co-founder and Republican donor, responded to the Dallas announcement by writing: “For the record, I am hugely in favor of winning the midterms, and love much about this admin, but am strongly against bread and circus bribes.”
Other financial promises Trump made during his second term have not come to pass. One exception was his “warrior dividend,” under which $1,776 payments were sent to 1.4 million military personnel in December 2025.
