Alaska isn’t generally the focal point of a lot of political discussion around the country; we’re large geographically (ain’t none larger) but small population-wise. It’s also so, as I’ve always said and written, that Alaska politics can be a little weird.
This year, with the ongoing controversy of the multiple Dan Sullivans, things are weirder than ever. Now, though, on Sunday morning, the real Senator Dan Sullivan appeared on CNN’s State of the Union opposite host Jake Tappers – and he is naming names.
Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan said Peltola “got caught lying and she’s still lying to the Alaskan people, to the media, to all of us.” https://t.co/x2cbGwfpCp
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) November 1, 2026
Here’s how that conversation unfolded.
Jake Tapper: Mary Peltola’s former campaign manager told “The New York Times” in a bombshell of a story that Peltola was aware of this plan to put a different Dan Sullivan on the ballot, though the campaign manager, the fired campaign manager, she did try to retract it. Peltola says she — quote — “knew nothing” about any other candidates on the ballot except for her and you, and that she’s not interested in tricking voters. Beyond the claim of the former campaign manager, is there evidence you know of that Mary Peltola knew what was going on?
Senator Sullivan: Sure, Jake. I mean, “The New York Times” article has the receipts. And, look, my opponent, Mary Peltola, likes to talk about D.C. corruption, the rigged system. This story, this saga, which is true, there’s nothing more rigged and corrupt than this. Think about it. She’s a D.C. lobbyist making a half-million a year. She decides to run for the Senate, and her — the first order of business is to get with her campaign manager, her chief of staff, who actually joined her in the D.C. lobbying job, and Schumer’s top DSCC staffers, not to go over a record or talk about what she wants in the campaign for her vision for Alaska, but to devise a secret plan to cheat and rig the election in her favor and to cheat with regard to Alaskans.
So, to your question, the “New York Times” article isn’t a he said/she said. It’s got a ton of text messages in it, all between the people who are undertaking the scheme, again, her chief of staff, this guy Anton McParland — I know him well — her campaign manager, all the DCCC top officials, by the way, senior DSCC Schumer officials. They are devising this and doing regular updates, almost weekly. She is joined at the hip with this guy McParland. I know that, her former chief of staff and her D.C. lobbyist buddy. There is no there is — there’s no way that this went on for a year that they weren’t informing her on. It’s just a complete fabrication. And she’s got caught lying, and she’s still lying to the Alaskan people, to the media, to all of us.
The very fact that it was the New York Times that broke this thing wide open says a lot; this is not a publication friendly to Republicans or anyone to the political right of Nikita Khrushchev. But in this case, the Times has done some actual journalism, and we should give them due credit for that. They have names, dates, and places. They have evidence.
And Alaskans, like Americans in general, don’t like being lied to.
Over the last few days, it looks a lot like the Peltola campaign is engaged in some heavy last-minute campaign advertising, mentioning everything but the other Dan Sullivan, who seems to have pulled a vanishing act. What’s most laughable, as Senator Sullivan points out, is her agitating about the “rigged system,” as she puts it, which is an irony that registers on the Richter scale. Her campaign leveraged something that is only possible in the first place because of ranked choice voting, and while many of us suspected a connection between the Peltola camp and the second Dan Sullivan for some time, now there’s a pretty solid trail of evidence of that connection.
Let’s just hope it’s not too little, too late. A lot of Alaskans have already voted.
Oh, and remember, Alaskans, ranked choice voting is once again on the ballot this year. To repeal this travesty, yes on 2!
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
