An explosive investigation by The New York Times has revealed an alleged covert scheme, internally termed the ‘ballot composition project,’ in which Mary Peltola’s campaign for the Alaska Senate seat reportedly participated in recruiting spoiler candidates to siphon votes from incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. The operation, which began in the summer of 2025, allegedly involved aides from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), top campaign advisors, party lawyers, and an operative who traveled under assumed names. According to the report, a Peltola staffer was tasked with compiling a list of Alaskans named Dan Sullivan from state voter rolls, leading to the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher and left-leaning voter, who switched his registration to Republican to run. Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, stated that while Peltola wasn’t directly involved in orchestrating the project, she was ‘definitely aware.’ The plan also allegedly included recruiting other candidates like Gerald Heikes and pressuring progressive candidate David Leslie to withdraw to avoid splitting votes from Peltola, thereby securing Heikes a spot on the ranked-choice ballot. Further details suggest discussions about creating a third-party ‘MAGA party’ to draw votes from the incumbent, with an attorney from Elias Law Group involved in these strategy discussions. While Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement in recruiting any candidates, the report cites text messages, internal documents, and multiple sources, including Rios’s initial corroborated interviews, as evidence of the alleged scheme.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
