Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska accused Democrat Mary Peltola's campaign of a cover-up after a new New York Times investigation detailed an alleged effort involving Peltola's campaign and national Democratic operatives to recruit a candidate with the same name as Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

“ While some may try to write this off as just how politics works now, ballot-stacking should have no place in our electoral process. Run and win on your merits: your views, your policy ideas, and your accomplishments. By contrast, recruiting candidates to manipulate the field and influence voting outcomes is simply wrong. Alaskans deserve the honest truth from Mary and her campaign,” Murkowski said. “What has been revealed is a pattern of lies and coverups and a culture of deception that belongs nowhere in our elections or among our elected officials.”

The New York Times reported Wednesday that Peltola's campaign, its attorneys and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), the national Democratic Party's Senate campaign arm, participated in efforts to recruit potential candidates who could draw votes away from Sullivan. The investigation cited interviews, documents, and text messages detailing what participants called a “ballot composition” project.

According to the report, a campaign staffer was instructed to identify people named Dan Sullivan in Alaska. The effort ultimately led to Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, who entered the Senate race. He will appear on the November ballot alongside incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan and Peltola, creating the possibility that voters could confuse the two candidates.

The Peltola campaign has repeatedly denied involvement in recruiting the second Sullivan. Following publication of the report, the campaign said, “The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.” The DSCC also denied involvement, although the Times reported that text messages showed staff members from the organization communicating with Peltola campaign officials about the broader effort.

The revelations have intensified scrutiny of the Democratic campaign less than a week before Election Day, with control of the U.S. Senate potentially at stake. Republicans have argued that placing a candidate with a nearly identical name on the ballot could divert votes from the incumbent. The second Sullivan has denied that his campaign was connected to Peltola's operation, and he remains on the ballot after Alaska's Supreme Court allowed him to run.

The controversy has also drawn attention from President Donald Trump and Republican officials, who have called for accountability over the reported recruitment effort. However, the legal implications remain disputed. While Republicans have questioned whether the alleged coordination violated campaign finance rules, critics of federal intervention argue that strategic candidate recruitment is generally permitted under Alaska's election system.

Murkowski's criticism adds to the pressure on Peltola to address the findings and explain the campaign's role in the reported effort. With Alaskans already voting, the dispute has become a major flashpoint in the state's closely watched Senate contest.