A mysterious Democrat operative who has worked behind the scenes on a slew of campaigns is in the spotlight after allegations surfaced about a scheme to spoil the Alaska Senate race.
The race has become a key one to watch this midterm cycle, as Democrat Mary Peltola hopes to flip a seat and oust incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.
Eyebrows were raised earlier this year when another Dan Sullivan appeared on the ballot, seemingly plucked from obscurity.
Less than a week before Election Day, an investigation revealed that the coincidence was more likely a careful plot meant to confuse voters and spoil the election in Peltola’s favor.
A recent investigation named Jerid Kurtz as the go-between who seemingly recruited candidates, including the ‘second’ Sullivan to run for Senate.
The New York Times’ bombshell report prompted calls for an investigation from the Trump administration and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Since the news broke, Kurtz deleted his social media accounts and the website for the firm he co-owns, Wingspan Strategies.
Kurtz launched his political career after graduating from Case Western Reserve University in 2005 with a degree in Political Science and English, according to the university.
Democratic hopeful Mary Peltola’s campaign was accused of involvement in a scheme to recruit a ‘second’ Dan Sullivan in her Senate race
Peltola and Sullivan, pictured above, are in a tight race for the Senate seat. Another man named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot
He obtained his law degree from Case Western in 2009 and served as a Board Member and Vice President of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio.
Jerid Kurtz has been named as the Democrat operative who is accused of recruiting a man named Dan Sullivan to run in the Alaska Senate race against the incumbent with the same name to help Mary Peltola
Kurtz previously served as the communications director for the Ohio Democratic Party, working to re-elect President Barack Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown, according to his alumni profile.
His LegiStorm resume noted that he worked as a campaign manager on Raphael Warnock’s 2020 Senate run. Kurtz also managed campaigns for David Trone and Anthony Brown.
Kurtz was introduced to Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, and Anton McParland, her former chief of staff, in the summer of 2025, the New York Times reported in its investigation.
Rios told The Times that Kurtz was introduced as a ‘specialist in secret ballot maneuvers.’ Kurtz reportedly was tasked with finding and recruiting someone with the name ‘Dan Sullivan’ to run for Senate.
At the start of 2026, he told staffers close to the Peltola campaign that he found a Dan Sullivan who was willing to run to ‘help Mary.’
Kurtz also reportedly contacted other potential spoilers, including a man named Matthew Salisbury, whom he reached via a Google Voice number and later met at a pub under the pseudonym ‘Zane.’
Text messages viewed by The Times revealed that staffers with Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee referred to ‘Jarid,’ ‘Jared,’ or ‘our friend.’
A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, showing both of the Daniel Sullivan candidates
In response to the allegations, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has launched an investigation and has asked Kurtz to testify in person on November 6.
Chairman James Comer sent Kurtz a letter on Thursday warning that if he did not voluntarily appear for the interview, the committee would be ‘forced to evaluate the use of compulsory process.’
Trump has also demanded Peltola be removed from the ballot and investigated. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has ordered an investigation into the campaign.
‘Deliberately tricking voters into casting their ballots for someone else strikes at the integrity of our elections,’ the governor wrote on X.
Vice President JD Vance called the results of The Times investigation ‘disgraceful,’ accusing Peltola of ‘trying to steal a Senate seat from the voters of Alaska.’
The Justice Department has already filed a lawsuit to block the certification of the results if Senator Sullivan loses due to the second Sullivan’s presence in the race.
Sullivan has accused Peltola and her campaign of ‘gaslighting Alaskans, denying a scheme they were running all along.’
The Peltola campaign and the DSCC have repeatedly denied any involvement in the ‘second’ Sullivan campaign or in recruiting other candidates.
This combination photo shows Trump-backed Republican Sen Dan Sullivan, left, in Palmer, Alaska, on August 17, 2026, and another candidate in Alaska’s Senate race named Dan Sullivan
During a rally on Thursday, Peltola doubled down on the claims, telling voters the New York Times investigation was ‘just another distraction.’
‘This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions,’ she said. ‘Nobody at The New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska.’
Supporters of Peltola’s campaign have argued that if true, the scheme does not violate election laws.
Chris Redfern, a former member of the US House, who worked with Kurtz when he was the communications director for the Ohio Democratic Party, told the Cincinnati Enquirer that similar schemes are ‘a campaign tactic as old as ballot boxes.’
‘It is quite common to find candidates to muddy the waters,’ he added.
Redfern said Kurtz was ‘exceptional’ and the two ‘enjoyed a great deal of success’ when they worked together. Kurtz was not immediately available for comment.
