A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot

A secret political scheme in Alaska aimed to influence a U.S. Senate race by recruiting a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to divide the Republican vote. Political reporter Kellen Browning reveals that Democratic operatives, including staff for candidate Mary Peltola, orchestrated the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan to challenge the incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Operative Jared Kurtz facilitated this effort, often using pseudonyms to conceal the Democratic Party's involvement. Although the campaign initially denied these connections, evidence confirms a coordinated strategy to stack the ballot and leverage Alaska’s ranked-choice voting system. While the Trump administration has labeled the maneuver illegal and threatened to challenge election certification, legal experts note that such ballot-stacking tactics are common in American politics and the Alaska Supreme Court has already permitted both candidates to remain on the ballot.