I want to make three points about The New York Times’ report that the campaign of Alaska Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola recruited a ringer named Dan Sullivan to take votes away from her rival, the incumbent Republican, who is also named Dan Sullivan.
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First, why did Elisa Rios, the Times’ main source, retract what she told them? “As discussed on our call earlier today, I am confirming that I have retracted all statements made regarding the 2026 Alaska Senate Race in connection with any article you may or may not be writing,” Rios wrote. “I am not willing to be a source for any story in any capacity.” I know the Times says they verified the story independently, but what was that all about?
Second, the Times reports: “When Ms. Peltola ran for re-election to the House two years ago, the state Republican Party backed an effort to help a Democrat — an inmate who ran his campaign from a New York prison — stay on the ballot.” I don’t remember hearing anything about that at the time, and it sounds a lot more serious than what the Peltola campaign is accused of doing.
Third, this story follows a gratuitous hit job on Peltola that the Times published last month, including the shocking revelation that her aides were required to feed live crickets to her daughter’s chameleon, Meatball. That story includes this detail, which, if nothing else, is pretty entertaining:
On at least one occasion, the crickets escaped in the office and had to be recaptured, according to two former aides who witnessed it as well as a photo viewed by The Times that showed aides in the office trying to trap the crickets using manila folders and small paper cups.
The horror!
Finally, the Times has published a follow-up reporting that Alaska’s Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, is ordering a criminal investigation despite the lack of any evidence that recruiting a ringer is illegal. I urge you to read it. You’ll struck by the dismissive tone. For instance:
[T]he Peltola campaign is hardly the first political committee on either side of the aisle to engage in ballot-stacking.
Many Democrats defended the plan by pointing out how commonplace such actions are. Republicans have employed them in a variety of states, including Alaska.
Some Democrats even said that the intricate plot was a welcome sign that the party was fighting tooth and nail to oppose Mr. Trump’s agenda in what they viewed as an existential election.
Is the Times now trying to walk back its own overheated reporting?
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