Democratic Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied campaign involvement with either of two candidates named Dan Sullivan following reporting about an alleged effort to divert votes from the Republican incumbent. Fox News Digital said none of the 42 Democratic lawmakers and governors it contacted about the allegations had responded by publication on Oct. 30.
The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola aides helped recruit a man who shares Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan's name to enter the race. The alleged purpose was to draw votes away from the incumbent. The Times based its reporting on text messages it obtained and interviews with former campaign staffers.
Peltola has said her campaign "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign." Her campaign did not respond to a separate request for comment from Fox News Digital. The outlet asked Democratic figures who had endorsed her whether they would condemn the alleged effort to mislead voters in Alaska.
The dispute also involves a federal court challenge. On Oct. 22, the Department of Justice sued Alaska, seeking to postpone certification of the Senate election if the Republican incumbent loses and the votes received by the other Sullivan could have altered the outcome. The requested delay would allow an investigation into whether voter confusion affected the result.
Legal experts from across the political spectrum previously told Fox News Digital that the lawsuit faces substantial obstacles. Those include establishing what voters intended when casting anonymous ballots and overcoming states' sovereignty over their elections. The requested intervention is conditional on both an incumbent defeat and a potentially consequential vote total for the other candidate.
Among the Democrats contacted were Sens. Richard Blumenthal, Chris Murphy and Cory Booker, each of whom has previously spoken about protecting democracy. Blumenthal criticized voter suppression in 2022, Murphy called in April 2025 for action reflecting the urgency of threats to democracy, and Booker said in December 2016 that safeguarding democracy should rise above party politics. Sen. John Fetterman also had not responded.
Other figures approached included Sens. Chuck Schumer, Adam Schiff and Mark Kelly, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Pramila Jayapal. Fox News Digital also sought responses from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, former Sen. Sherrod Brown and Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford.
One Democrat publicly objected to the alleged tactic. Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand told Fox News on Sunday that "both parties are doing it and neither party should be doing it." He described such efforts as "manipulating the political system."
