A Plan for Two Dans: How Democrats Manipulated Alaska’s Ballot

About this episode

<p>An investigation from The New York Times has uncovered how two candidates named Dan Sullivan ended up on the ballot for U.S. Senate in Alaska and the secret role that Democrats played in making it happen.</p><p>Kellen Browning, a political reporter for The Times, takes us inside the political scheme and explains what it means for a race that could determine which party controls the Senate.</p><p>Guest: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/kellen-browning" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>Kellen Browning</strong></a>, a political reporter for The New York Times in San Francisco.</p><p>Background reading:&nbsp;</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/politics/alaska-dan-sullivan-conspiracy-peltola.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inside Democrats’ secret effort</a> to stack Alaska’s ballot.</li><li>After The Times’s article, the governor of Alaska <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/28/us/politics/trump-peltola-sullivan-alaska-senate.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ordered an investigation</a> into Mary Peltola’s Senate campaign over its role in recruiting spoiler candidates.</li><li>Previously, the Justice Department <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/23/us/politics/justice-dept-alaska-senate-race-sullivan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">asked a federal court to block Alaska’s results</a> if the Republican incumbent narrowly lost.</li></ul><p>Photo: Haven Daley/Associated Press</p> <p><p>For more information on today’s episode, visit <a href="http://nytimes.com/thedaily?smid=pc-thedaily"><strong>nytimes.com/thedaily</strong></a>. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. </p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>