Stunt Casting or Strategy? CNN panel defends the Democrats' “Dan Sullivan Deception” ballot plot affecting the Alaska Senate Race

During the CNN NewsNight with Abby Phillip broadcast on October 29, hosted by guest host Michael Smerconish, the panel vigorously debated The New York Times blockbuster report detailing the "Ballot Composition Project"-a strategic effort by Democratic operatives to recruit a second candidate named Dan Sullivan to run in Alaska's U.S. Senate race to potentially siphon votes from the Republican incumbent of the same name.

The guests defended or contextualized the strategy offering four different ways to justify it

Democratic political strategist Chuck Rocha argued that this is "the oldest trick" in politics. He noted that in congressional races across the country, both parties routinely spend hundreds of millions of dollars to prop up third-party or alternative candidates to slice up and deceive the opposition's base.

Michael Smerconish asked Rocha. “But you don't see a problem with going out and actually recruiting, like going through the phone book if there is such a thing and saying, let's find a Dan Sullivan?”. Rocha replied, “That's a little bit of a stretch, but I'm just saying it happens all the time.”

The next defense of It is Fully Legal and Legitimately Certified, was by multiple panelists, including Karen Finney, which emphasized that regardless of whether people like the optics or ethics of the tactic, it is perfectly legal. They noted that the candidate is a real person who qualified for the ballot and that the Alaska Supreme Court had already affirmed the legitimacy of the ballot.

When confronted by other panelists (including Trump campaign spokesperson Caroline Sunshine) with the specific detail that Mary Peltola’s campaign actively searched voter rolls to recruit another Dan Sullivan, CNN panelist Karen Finney and others pivoted their defense. They responded by framing the tactic as a standard, albeit sharp, political maneuver utilized by both major parties. Their core arguments in reply emphasized that while critics might call it an "untoward" strategy or a "dirty trick," it is an established, non-illegal political tactic that both Democrats and Republicans have deployed in various competitive races across the country to siphon votes from opponents.

As usual, they argued that the hyper-focus on the second Dan Sullivan was an attempt by the Trump administration and Republicans to create a distraction and cast a shadow over a tight, highly competitive Senate race. How many times do you hear the word distraction? Distracting that Omar might not be eligible to hold office? Or are they distracting by saying there are distractions?

Alaska's Ranked-Choice Voting Protects Voters was the next defense. The panelists pointed out that Alaska utilizes a ranked-choice voting system. Because of this, the tactic doesn't automatically act as a traditional "spoiler" vote-sink; voters who might be confused have the tactical freedom to simply rank both Dan Sullivans at the top of their ballot, mitigating the risk of a completely stolen vote.

Finally, they act like they believe The Ballot Explicitly Clearly Identifies the Incumbent, so panelists argued that the Republican incumbent is clearly designated with the word "Incumbent" next to his name on the physical ballot. Because the ballot layout is transparent, they argued that critics should "trust that voters aren't stupid" and are entirely capable of distinguishing between the two choices.

When confronted with evidence contradicting their initial denials regarding the ballot project, campaign defenders argued that candidate Mary Peltola was not personally executing the strategy. Panelists also sought to minimize the credibility of the former campaign manager who exposed the involvement, noting she had been fired and attempted to retract her statements.

But internal records also confirm that as early as the summer of 2025, a Peltola staffer was explicitly instructed by senior campaign aides to comb through state voter rolls to compile a comprehensive list of every person in Alaska named Dan Sullivan.

Despite the text messages and whistleblower testimony coming to light, Peltola has publicly doubled down on her denials, telling supporters at a Juneau rally, "I knew nothing about any other candidates on the ballot except for me and the incumbent."