Alaska 'Decoy Candidate' Allegations Put Endorsing Democrats on the Spot

A reported effort to confuse voters in Alaska's Senate race has put prominent Democrats in an uncomfortable position. The New York Times reported that aides to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola helped recruit a man named Dan Sullivan to run for the Senate, in an alleged effort to draw votes from Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Peltola's campaign has denied any involvement.

Fox News Digital reached out to 42 Democratic lawmakers and governors who endorsed Peltola to ask whether they would denounce the alleged effort to mislead Alaska voters. As of publication, not a single one had responded.

The silence has drawn attention because many of those Democrats have spent years warning about threats to democracy. Senator Richard Blumenthal said in 2022 that 'voter suppression is poisonous, it is toxic to our democracy.' Senator Chris Murphy argued in April 2025 that those who believe the threat to democracy is urgent need to act like it. Senator Cory Booker said in December 2016 that protecting American democracy is a calling far higher than party politics. None of them answered Fox News Digital's questions.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, a Democrat known for publicly breaking with his party on some issues, has also remained silent on the controversy.

Peltola has asserted that her campaign 'has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.' The Times said its investigation relied on text messages it obtained as well as interviews with former campaign staffers.

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Alaska on October 22 seeking to delay certification of the state's Senate election if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses and votes cast for the other Sullivan could have changed the outcome, pending an investigation into whether voter confusion played a role in the result.

Alaska's governor has also ordered an investigation following the Times report. Legal experts from across the political spectrum have said the case faces significant challenges, particularly in trying to infer voter intent from anonymous ballots and in overcoming the sovereignty of states over their elections.

Both Senator Dan Sullivan and former Representative Mary Peltola took part in the 2026 Alaska Fisheries Debate in Kodiak on September 12, 2026. Dan J. Sullivan, the man who filed to run for the Senate, was photographed in Petersburg, Alaska, on June 26, 2026.