DOJ drops opposition to Peltola campaign joining suit, says it will seek discovery

A day after asking a federal judge to keep Mary Peltola's campaign out of its lawsuit over Alaska's U.S. Senate race, the Justice Department reversed itself Wednesday, citing a New York Times report, and said it intends to seek expedited discovery from the campaign.

In a notice to U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason, the department said a "change in circumstances" led it to drop its opposition to Alaskans for Mary, Peltola's campaign committee, and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee joining the case. It described the Times as reporting that the two groups "orchestrated a sprawling conspiracy to recruit and prop up a sham candidate for the purpose of deceiving Alaskan voters."

Discovery would cover the reported effort, the department said, and "whether the Campaign attempted to deceive the Court" by seeking a quick ruling on its motion to dismiss when it "may have been aware" of the Times' reporting before publication.

The Times reported Wednesday that Peltola aides worked with DSCC officials on a "ballot composition project" to recruit spoiler candidates, including Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg. Much of its account comes from Peltola's former campaign manager, who asked last week to retract her interviews. The Times said her account matched its other reporting.

Peltola's campaign said in a statement that it "has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign" and "did not recruit any candidates into the race." The DSCC denied involvement, too.

The statement came from Alaskans for Mary, the Senate campaign committee Peltola designated in January, according to federal election filings. The Times said the effort began in summer 2025. Peltola's former campaign manager told the paper Peltola was not directly involved but was "definitely aware" of it.

"This is just another distraction. It's another diversion. Every day, it's some new, you know, look over here moment," Peltola said in a video posted Wednesday afternoon.

The state election officials the department sued told Gleason Tuesday that they don't oppose the campaign and the DSCC joining, which leaves that request unopposed. The officials took no position on a separate request from the League of Women Voters of Alaska, Common Cause and two Fairbanks voters, which the department still opposes.

Gleason had said she intended to rule on the requests by 5 pm Wednesday. If she lets the groups in, they become defendants, and the department has until 5 pm Thursday to respond to their motions to dismiss. Its response to the state's own motion to dismiss is due at 3 pm Thursday.

The department sued Oct. 22, asking Gleason to block certification if Sen. Dan Sullivan loses but would have won had every vote for Daniel J. Sullivan gone to him, pending an investigation into those voters' intent. From the start, it has argued that Daniel J. Sullivan's "sole purpose" in running is to help Peltola.

Election Day is Tuesday.