Sullivan says he doubts Peltola’s claim that campaign aides knew nothing about Alaska ballot controversy

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan disputed his Democratic opponent’s explanation for an Alaska ballot controversy Sunday, arguing that he does not believe Rep. Mary Peltola’s campaign was uninvolved. Sullivan’s remarks came as election results could affect which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Sullivan said he doubted claims that Peltola had no knowledge of her top political aides being involved in recruiting a retired schoolteacher also named Dan Sullivan onto the ballot, an effort Sullivan characterized as intended to confuse voters. The dispute centers on whether campaign involvement contributed to the appearance of two candidates with the same name on election materials.

Multiple outlets reported Sullivan’s contention that Peltola was “still lying” about the campaign’s involvement. Under that account, Sullivan suggested Peltola’s public statements about what she knew and when she knew it were inconsistent with the role his opponent’s staff allegedly played in the ballot recruitment matter.

Peltola’s campaign has maintained that she did not have knowledge of the involvement that Sullivan described. The underlying disagreement reflects a broader election administration concern raised by both sides: how candidate names, ballot access steps, and campaign activity intersect in ways that can affect voter understanding.

The controversy has taken on added weight because the Alaska Senate race is being viewed as consequential for Senate control. As reported by outlets covering Sullivan’s remarks, voters are weighing not only policy differences but also allegations about campaign conduct and ballot clarity.

Sullivan also addressed how he would handle the outcome, according to additional reporting from Sunday. In those accounts, he said he would accept election results, even as he continued to criticize Peltola’s campaign narrative about the ballot dispute.