A little-known Democratic operative who has worked behind the scenes on multiple political campaigns is now facing scrutiny over allegations of a scheme designed to disrupt Alaska’s Senate race.
The contest is one of the most closely watched races of the midterm election cycle, with Democrat Mary Peltola seeking to unseat Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan.
Questions emerged earlier this year after a second candidate named Dan Sullivan, previously unknown to many voters, appeared on the ballot.
But fewer than seven days before Election Day, an investigation suggested the matching names may have been part of a deliberate effort to confuse voters and help Peltola’s campaign.
A recent investigation identified Jerid Kurtz as the alleged intermediary who recruited prospective candidates, including the “second” Sullivan, to enter the Senate race.
The New York Times’ report triggered calls for a federal investigation from the Trump administration and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
After the allegations became public, Kurtz deleted his social media profiles and removed the website of Wingspan Strategies, the firm he co-owns.
According to Case Western Reserve University, Kurtz entered politics after graduating in 2005 with a degree in political science and English.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign has been accused of involvement in an effort to recruit a “second” Dan Sullivan in the Alaska race
Peltola and Sullivan, pictured above, are locked in a tight Senate contest. A second candidate named Dan Sullivan is also on the ballot
He earned a law degree from Case Western in 2009 and went on to serve as a board member and vice president of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio.
Jerid Kurtz has been identified as the Democratic operative accused of recruiting a candidate named Dan Sullivan to challenge the incumbent with the same name, potentially benefiting Mary Peltola
Kurtz later became communications director for the Ohio Democratic Party and worked on efforts to re-elect President Barack Obama and Senator Sherrod Brown, according to his alumni profile.
His LegiStorm biography says he served as campaign manager for Raphael Warnock’s 2020 Senate campaign. Kurtz also managed campaigns for David Trone and Anthony Brown.
The New York Times reported that Kurtz was introduced in the summer of 2025 to Elisa Rios, Peltola’s former campaign manager, and Anton McParland, her former chief of staff.
Rios told the newspaper that Kurtz was presented as a “specialist in secret ballot maneuvers.” His reported assignment was to locate and persuade someone named “Dan Sullivan” to run for the Senate.
Early in 2026, Kurtz reportedly told people close to the Peltola campaign that he had found a Dan Sullivan prepared to run in order to “help Mary.”
Kurtz also allegedly approached other potential spoiler candidates. Among them was Matthew Salisbury, whom he contacted through a Google Voice number before meeting him at a pub while using the name “Zane.”
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Text messages reviewed by The Times showed that members of Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee referred to Kurtz as “Jarid,” “Jared” or simply “our friend.”
A sample ballot in Anchorage, Alaska, displays both candidates named Daniel Sullivan
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.