The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recruited a spoiler candidate with the same name as a Republican candidate to trick Alaska voters.

Posted by Speaker Mike Johnson, Oct 29, 2026Checked Oct 29, 2026

Polygraph verdictTrue

Sources: 1 contradict8 support1 context
Said: 1 time·
Confidence: 85%

Speaker Mike Johnson@SpeakerJohnsonOct 29, 2026

Multiple sources report the New York Times finding that Peltola's campaign aides and DSCC senior aides worked to recruit Dan J. Sullivan, a namesake spoiler candidate, to siphon votes from Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What we found

Supports. The New York Times, as reported by AP, The Hill, Reuters, and CNBC, found that DSCC senior aides and Peltola campaign aides and lawyers helped recruit Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher sharing the incumbent's name, to run in the Alaska Senate race.[1][2][3][4]

Supports. NYT reporting describes an internal 'ballot composition project' that sought other same-name spoilers, with text messages and documents cited as evidence.[5][6][7]

Supports. Alaska's Republican governor ordered a state investigation after the NYT report, saying the effort was intended to confuse voters and misdirect their votes.[8]

Contradicts. The DSCC told ABC News it was 'not involved with Dan J. Sullivan,' and Peltola's campaign said it 'has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign'; these are denials of the reported scheme, not independent contrary evidence.[2][5][9]

Context. The claim's wording omits the NYT's nuance that Peltola was not directly involved and that the DSCC role concerned senior aides; the claim names the DSCC as an institution, while sources attribute the involvement to its senior aides.[3][10]