CNN’s Kaitlan Collins pressed Sen. Chris Murphy after a New York Times report alleged an effort tied to former Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola’s camp to recruit another “Dan Sullivan” into an Alaska race involving incumbent Republican Sen. Dan S. Sullivan. On air, Murphy argued the ballot made the incumbent unmistakable and repeatedly turned to former President Donald Trump’s role, according to a CNN transcript quoted by The Western Journal and clips posted by RNC Research.
What the NYT report alleged
The Western Journal summarized a New York Times investigation alleging a secret effort starting in 2025 to find Alaskans named “Dan Sullivan” to run, with the stated aim of confusing voters and splitting the Republican vote. The Will Cain Show amplified the Times’ claim on X, saying the Peltola campaign and the DSCC denied participating, and that a second Dan Sullivan ran while maintaining he acted on his own.
Murphy’s on-air defense
Asked by Collins whether he was “okay” if Peltola’s campaign “did go out and try to find other Dan Sullivans to run,” Murphy responded that he trusted Peltola’s denial. He also argued the Alaska ballot made confusion unlikely. “If anybody has actually looked at the ballot in Alaska, there is no way to confuse one Dan Sullivan for the other,” he said, adding: “The ballot actually says Incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan… So, if you want to vote for the incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan, there’s going to be no way that you could — that you could screw up,” according to the CNN transcript cited by The Western Journal.
Collins noted the Times said its story relied on interviews with “12 people… who participated in or were told of this plan or the would-be candidates that the team tried to recruit,” and asked Murphy, “Would you like it if another Chris Murphy ran on the ballot?”
RNC Research posted a clip showing Murphy beginning, “The underlying story here is that Donald Trump…” In the exchange quoted by The Western Journal, Murphy said, “The bottom line here is that Trump is just fishing for reasons to try to fix the election,” and later added, “The underlying story is that Donald Trump has basically declared that he believes any election that results in a Democrat winning is an illegitimate election.” He also said, “But, but, but I wouldn’t have any worry if the ballot in Connecticut said incumbent Sen. Chris Murphy… I would trust that everybody who wants to vote for me is going to vote for me.”
Denials and disputes
The Western Journal report says the Peltola campaign denied the Times’ reporting. It also cites statements that Dan J. Sullivan maintained he ran on his own accord. The Will Cain Show post stated the DSCC denied participating. Collins pressed Murphy on those denials versus the Times’ sourcing.
What we can’t verify from this article
The Western Journal piece references a Department of Justice lawsuit seeking to block certification of election results if the incumbent Sullivan loses; the piece ties Murphy’s remarks to that development. We have not independently reviewed the DOJ filing, the New York Times report, or CNN’s full transcript or video. All quotes and characterizations above are attributed to The Western Journal’s write-up and the cited social-media clips.
