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↑Part of: New York Times report says Peltola campaign helped recruit a second Dan Sullivan
Politics · Global

Breitbart says Peltola knew of effort to recruit Sullivan-name candidate

A Breitbart report alleges Mary Peltola knew of an effort to recruit a candidate named Daniel J. Sullivan, a name matching that of Alaska Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan.

AI-assisted synthesis · Based on 2 outlets' reporting · Article text read from 1 of 2 outletsHow it's made

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2 outletsLatest reporting 3 min read
Coverage: Too few ratedL 0 · C 1 · R 1
Updat3 graphic: Breitbart
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What happened

Key facts

  • Breitbart reported that Mary Peltola, a former U.S. representative and Democratic Senate candidate in Alaska, and Republican Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan were facing each other in the Senate race (per Breitbart).
  • Breitbart said Peltola’s campaign had repeatedly denied involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan’s decision to run (per Breitbart).
  • Breitbart reported that a New York Times account said interviews, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit showed Peltola’s team was involved with people trying to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan (per Breitbart).
  • Elisa Rios, a former Peltola campaign manager, told the New York Times that Peltola was aware of the project but was not directly involved (per Breitbart).
  • Yahoo’s headline says Donald Trump demanded that Mary Peltola be taken off the Alaska Senate race ballot after a New York Times report (per Yahoo, Breitbart).

The brief

Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios told The New York Times that Mary Peltola knew about a project to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan as a candidate in Alaska’s U.S. Senate race, while saying Peltola did not take a direct role.

Breitbart reported Rios’s account and said the New York Times described interviews, text messages and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit as showing Peltola’s team had ties to people trying to recruit Sullivan. The race pits Peltola, a Democrat and former U.S. representative, against Republican Sen. Daniel S. Sullivan. Daniel J.

Sullivan’s name matches the senator’s name, and Breitbart described the recruitment effort as an attempt to find a second candidate also called Dan Sullivan. The report characterizes the effort as involving people trying to bring Daniel J. Sullivan into the contest; it does not say he and the senator are the same person.

Rios, who previously managed Peltola’s campaign, told the New York Times in a series of interviews that Peltola was “definitely aware” of the project. Rios also said Peltola “was not directly involved.” She told the outlet that people in Alaska “need to know,” without further detail in Breitbart’s account about what information she believed should be known.

Peltola’s campaign has repeatedly denied involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan’s decision to announce his candidacy, according to Breitbart.

The report does not say the campaign denied that Peltola knew about the project; Rios’s statement concerns Peltola’s awareness and her personal involvement, while the campaign denial is described as concerning involvement in Sullivan’s candidacy. Breitbart said Gerald Heikes will also appear on the ballot, alongside Peltola and the two candidates named Sullivan.

It quoted no response from Peltola or her campaign to Rios’s account beyond the campaign’s repeated denial of involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy. Yahoo’s headline separately says Donald Trump demanded that Peltola be removed from the Alaska Senate race ballot after the New York Times report. The headline does not provide further detail about the demand.

The central distinction in Breitbart’s account is between reported awareness of the recruitment project and direct participation in it: Rios described the former and denied the latter, while the campaign denied involvement in Sullivan’s candidacy.

Why it matters

  • The allegation could affect Peltola’s credibility in a close Senate race by raising questions about whether her campaign tried to influence the Republican primary through a candidate with a name similar to Sen. Daniel Sullivan’s. If voters or election officials view the effort as deceptive, it could prompt scrutiny of campaign conduct and sharpen attacks on Peltola, though the reports do not establish that the ballot or race outcome will change.

What to watch next

  • Whether Peltola or her campaign responds publicly to Rios’s account.
  • Whether the campaign offers further detail on its denial of involvement in Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
  • Whether Donald Trump pursues the ballot-removal demand described in Yahoo’s headline.

How it's being covered

Coverage analysisShow details
3 source articles · 2 unique outlets
Outlet political mix: Too few rated· 1 Center · 1 Right
Where the outlets are based: US/Canada 100%
Outlet political mix
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Where the outlets covering this story are based.
2 unique outletsDominant coverage: US/Canada
Limited coverage
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Timeline

Developments from this story's sources, dated background we compiled and fact-checked, and our earlier coverage. Each row says which.
  1. Dan Sullivan was elected to the U.S. Senate from Alaska.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  2. Alaska’s rules for congressional elections changed with Ballot Measure 2, approved by voters on November 3, 2020.
    Background · from our historical context
  3. Dan Sullivan won reelection to the U.S. Senate, defeating independent Al Gross.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  4. U.S. Representative Don Young of Alaska died after serving nearly 50 years in the House.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  5. Mary Peltola won Alaska’s special election for the U.S. House, becoming the first Alaska Native elected to Congress.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  6. Mary Peltola won a full term representing Alaska in the U.S. House.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  7. Republican Nick Begich III defeated Mary Peltola in Alaska’s U.S. House election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3
  8. Public polls showed Dan Sullivan and Mary Peltola in a close Alaska Senate race ahead of the general election.
    Background · compiled and fact-checked by Updat3

How we got here

Republican Nick Begich III defeated Peltola in the November 5, 2024, general election, after she had won the seat in 2022. Peltola’s 2022 victory followed the death of Republican Representative Don Young, who had held the seat for nearly 50 years; she became the first Alaska Native elected to Congress.

Peltola and Senator Dan Sullivan had previously competed in separate congressional contests: Sullivan won Alaska’s Senate seat in 2014, defeating Democratic incumbent Mark Begich, and won reelection in 2020 against independent Al Gross.

Original sources

3 articles from 2 outlets · US/Canada · Show all

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