Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola’s campaign and senior Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee officials participated in a secret effort to recruit spoiler challengers against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), including a candidate sharing his name, the New York Times reported Wednesday.
The findings bolster long-standing Republican allegations that challenger Dan J. Sullivan’s candidacy was solely intended to confuse voters and undermine the incumbent, Dan S. Sullivan, and the report has implications for an ongoing federal investigation. The reported DSCC involvement with what critics describe as the “Decoy Dan” extends the controversy to the national Democratic organization responsible for winning Senate races.
Mary Peltola, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, addresses supporters at an election watch party Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26231220711928.jpg?w=1024" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26231220711928.jpg?w=1024" alt="Mary Peltola, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, addresses supporters." class="wp-image-4740924" srcset="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26231220711928.jpg 1024w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26231220711928.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/AP26231220711928.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Mary Peltola, a Democrat running for the U.S. Senate seat in Alaska, addresses supporters at an election watch party Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026, in Anchorage, Alaska. (AP Photo)
Federal investigators had already been examining whether the lesser-known Sullivan candidacy was part of a conspiracy to confuse voters, NBC News reported in July. NBC reported a month later that grand jury subpoenas had been issued.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed to the Washington Examiner on Wednesday that the investigation remains ongoing, although it is unclear what specific charges the department is exploring or who it is targeting.
The New York Times based its findings on interviews with 12 people, text messages, and documents prepared for a potential lawsuit. Former Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios said Peltola knew about the project but did not participate directly.
Rios later sought to retract her statements. The newspaper said her interviews were consistent with its other reporting and published her quotes about the scheme.
The allegations arrive days before an election that could decide control of the Senate.
A coordinated effort
The reporting described a monthslong “ballot composition project” involving Peltola advisers, senior DSCC aides, and an operative who allegedly traveled through Alaska using a false name to recruit potential spoilers.
Text messages showed DSCC officials arranging calls about the effort and discussing a proposed right-wing party that could draw support from the incumbent, according to the newspaper, although that proposal never came to fruition.
But Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from Petersburg, entered the race after the recruitment effort, the New York Times reported.
Peltola’s campaign and the DSCC denied recruiting candidates. The committee told the newspaper it had “no involvement” in recruiting Sullivan or other Republican candidates.
Dan J. Sullivan has publicly maintained that he entered the race of his own accord and previously denied coordinating with Peltola’s campaign or Democratic strategists.
The New York Times also described efforts to recruit Republican Gerald Heikes and encourage Democrat David Leslie to withdraw after the primary. Leslie’s departure cleared a ballot spot for Heikes, leaving Peltola as the only Democratic choice for voters on Tuesday.
NBC reported that investigators were considering possible wire fraud or civil rights violations, although it was unclear who might face charges.
Separately, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit last week seeking to block certification of the Alaska Senate results if votes for the challenger Sullivan cost the incumbent a victory.
Alaska’s Supreme Court previously rejected efforts to remove the challenger Sullivan from the ballot. A federal judge has not yet issued a preliminary ruling over the latest request.
ELECTION LAWSUITS TO WATCH ONE WEEK BEFORE THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
The state advances four primary candidates to a ranked choice general election. Recruiting potential spoilers is generally considered legal, the New York Times noted, and both parties have employed ballot tactics in Alaska. But the stakes of the Alaska Senate race in a year when control of the upper chamber may hang on the outcome of a single contest sparked immediate controversy on Wednesday.
The Washington Examiner contacted the DSCC and campaigns for both Dan Sullivans and Peltola.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
