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Democratic strategist Adrienne Elrod chalked up Wednesday’s revelations about an alleged Democratic scheme to influence Alaska’s Senate race as something that “happens all the time,” comparing it to Republican support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 presidential bid against then-President Joe Biden during the 2024 election cycle.
The New York Times published a bombshell report alleging alleging that Democratic operatives recruited a man named Dan Sullivan to run as a spoiler candidate against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, potentially aiding his Democratic opponent, former Rep. Mary Peltola.
Appearing on an MS NOW panel, Elrod was quick to shrug off the controversy.
PELTOLA CAMPAIGN’S ALLEGED DAN SULLIVAN SPOILER PLOT TAKES NEW TURN AS DOJ FACES MAJOR LEGAL HURDLE
The New York Times reported that Democrats were behind the recruitment of retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., left, to run against incumbent Republican Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, right. (Sullivan for U.S. Senate; Brandon Bell-Pool/Getty Images)
“Some of this stuff happens all the time,” Elrod reacted. “Let’s not forget that … RFK Jr., when he ran against Joe Biden, Republicans propped him up, a lot of Trump donors were giving him money because they thought he would dig into some of Biden’s supporters. And then he ran as an independent. They thought he would draw away supporters from Biden. It actually had the opposite effect.”
“The bottom line is this stuff happens all the time. There are tactics that both campaigns can use … It is very clear, as you mentioned, who is the incumbent. So if you’re a Republican or any voter in Alaska, and you want to support the incumbent, you know who you’re voting for,” Elrod added while prefacing she hadn’t read the Times report.
MS NOW anchor Peter Alexander said the “funny business” involving Democrats in Alaska was “not illegal” and pointed out that the Republican senator is listed as “incumbent” on the ballot, which he argued undermined the Trump administration’s concerns about voter confusion.
SCHIFF ACCUSES DOJ OF TRYING TO ‘SUBVERT’ ELECTIONS AS GOP ALLEGES SAME-NAME CANDIDATE MEANT TO CONFUSE VOTERS
The campaign for Democratic Alaska Senate nominee Mary Peltola has denied involvement in the controversy surrounding fellow candidate Daniel J. Sullivan Jr. (Nathaniel Wilder/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republicans have long been suspicious about the candidacy of Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher who is among four Senate candidates listed on Alaska’s rank-choice ballot. The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Alaska seeking to block certification of the election results if the incumbent senator loses and votes cast for the other Sullivan could have changed the outcome.
“In the summer of 2025, a staffer for Mary Peltola, the Alaska Democrat who was eyeing a run for Senate, received unusual instructions from top campaign aides: Find as many people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska as you can,” the Times began its report Wednesday.
“The staffer complied, combing through voter records to produce a list of Dan Sullivans from across the state … [I]f the Peltola campaign or its allies could track down and persuade another Dan Sullivan to run for Senate, the confusion could cost the senator crucial votes on the state’s unusual, four-person ballot. The plan worked,” the report added.
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The Trump administration has sued the state of Alaska to block certification of the Senate election results under certain circumstances if incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan loses, arguing that Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.’s inclusion on the ballot could confuse voters. (Katie Holmlund/Associated Press)
According to Peltola’s former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, Peltola was not directly involved in the scheme but was “definitely aware.”
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“The Peltola campaign has repeatedly denied any involvement in his candidacy. But The Times has found, based on interviews and text messages, along with documents prepared for a potential lawsuit against the campaign, that not only did Ms. Peltola’s team work with people trying to recruit Mr. Sullivan to run for Senate, but the effort was much broader. The group worked to coax other would-be spoilers into the race, to dilute the incumbent’s support and help catapult the Democrat to victory,” the Times wrote.