Marc Elias, the Democratic election lawyer whose name became synonymous with the Steele Dossier saga, has landed [1] at the center of an alleged plot involving Alaska’s Senate race. The purported scheme sought to recruit a decoy candidate who could siphon votes from the Republican incumbent.
Elias left Perkins Coie in 2021 and established Elias Law Group, which serves Democratic Party candidates. His firm now represents both Democratic senatorial candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
The New York Times reported that Peltola campaign officials coordinated with Democratic operatives and DSCC aides to recruit Daniel J. Sullivan. His name closely resembles that of incumbent GOP Senator Dan S. Sullivan.
The race remained too close to call while election officials counted ballots under Alaska’s ranked choice voting system. Meanwhile, the purported decoy candidacy became the subject of legal challenges and a possible criminal investigation.
The Justice Department escalated its investigation on Election Day by reportedly sending letters to roughly 20 Democrats warning that they may be investigative targets. Elias and at least one DSCC official were notified, although a target letter does not guarantee that charges will follow.
HE’S DONE FOR: Marc Elias got a CRIMINAL TARGET LETTER over the Alaska ballot scheme, with nearly 20 OTHER Democrats hit too.
Fraud has NO place in this country. CHARGE THEM ALL. https://t.co/rVlZPfkaAN
— Michael Carbonara (@MCarbonaraFL) November 5, 2026 [2]
Before the election, President Donald Trump said Elias and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer should be held “criminally responsible” for “voter fraud at the highest level.” Trump was referring to the alleged candidate recruitment scheme.
Elias Law Group attorney Jacquelyn Lopez allegedly participated in the effort, which explored creating a “MAGA party” to further divide Alaska’s Republican vote. Texts reviewed by the Times showed a campaign consultant asking former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios whether they should “follow up with Jackie about maga party stuff.”
Another message said, “Jackie is calling” the operative who led the recruitment effort. Lopez also received a records preservation letter from Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Federal Election Commission records reviewed by Just the News showed that Alaskans for Mary, Peltola’s principal campaign committee, paid Elias Law Group roughly $117,000 in 2026. Elias was also working for the DSCC.
According to the Times, Rios coordinated with Democratic operative Jerid Kurtz, co owner of Wingspan Strategies LLC. The Wyoming political and public relations consulting firm was organized in March 2025, and the Peltola campaign internally called its initiative the “ballot composition project.”
The effort sought alternate candidates named Dan Sullivan, and DSCC aides reportedly introduced Rios and Kurtz. Rios told the Times that Kurtz “told us when he found him.”
Kurtz described the recruited candidate’s reasoning: “said he hated Trump, and if it was going to help Mary, he liked Mary. He didn’t have any interest in being a politician, but if this could help.”
The 49th State PAC, formed in August by Peltola allies following Alaska’s open primary, paid Wingspan Strategies LLC nearly $30,000 in management consulting fees, according to FEC records. Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC have denied involvement with Daniel J. Sullivan’s candidacy.
Elias confirmed that his firm’s top leadership received Justice Department letters and portrayed the investigation as political retaliation. “Elias Law Group attorneys proudly count themselves among this President’s political enemies, and we are proud to represent Democratic campaigns and progressive organizations that fight back against him every single day,” he said.
“We will not be intimidated by a sham investigation,” Elias added. Rios later asked the Times to retract her statements, but the newspaper said they aligned with its other reporting and published them.
Marc Elias is losing his mind after being exposed for his role in the Dan Sullivan sham in Alaska.
Oddly he doesn’t mention any of that.
“Donald Trump hates me… We are not going to make it through the next 2 years.”
He then threatens political weaponization against the admin. Tick-tock, Marc. ⚖️
— Erikaaa (@ErikaCA47) October 30, 2026 [3]
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said lawyers allegedly involved could become potential targets or witnesses because campaign filings and statements must be truthful. Article III Project attorney Will Chamberlain said the conduct could violate 18 U.S.C. §241, which carries up to 10 years in prison.
The FBI also reportedly interviewed former Alaska state Rep. David Eastman, a Wasilla Republican. Eastman said he met in April with an operative whom he later identified as Kurtz.
Elias previously drew scrutiny over his work as general counsel to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign. He hired Fusion GPS, which paid former British spy Christopher Steele $168,000 to compile the dossier alleging ties between Trump and Russia.
Special Counsel John Durham’s final report found that the FBI could not corroborate “a single substantive allegation” in the dossier. In 2022, the FEC fined the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign more than $100,000 for misreporting payments to Perkins Coie, though it dismissed allegations against Elias.