Alaska Democrat Senate candidate Mary Peltola denied knowledge of a scheme to confuse voters and siphon away votes from incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan.
“I just want to clear the air,” Peltola said at a bar in Juneau Thursday night, according to local press. “I knew nothing about any other candidate on the ballot except for me and the incumbent. That is all I have ever known about. I am not interested in tricking voters.”
The denial comes after a bombshell report from The New York Times revealed that Democrat operatives with Peltola’s knowledge worked together to recruit a retired teacher and self-described “pragmatic Republican centrist” also named Dan Sullivan to run in the Senate election and undercut the incumbent Republican. That man, referred to by Republicans as “Decoy Dan,” will appear on the ballot on Election Day as Democrats look to take advantage of Alaska’s convoluted ranked-choice voting system.
The effort to recruit “Decoy Dan” reportedly involved Peltola campaign staff, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) officials, political consultants, and an operative who traveled around Alaska under a false name to recruit potential candidates.
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Fired Peltola campaign manager Elisa Rios was the Times’ primary on-the-record source. She later sought to retract her statements, but the Times said her account was consistent with its other reporting, including internal texts showing national Democrats and campaign aides plotting the maneuver. Rios also said Peltola was “definitely aware” of the plot.
The Peltola campaign denied the reporting and claimed it had no role in the scheme. Despite the denials, the Justice Department has sent subpoenas to Peltola’s campaign and the second Dan Sullivan over the controversy. A U.S. official told NBC News that investigators had issued at least three dozen new subpoenas and document preservation requests.
Alaska Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy also opened up a state investigation into the scheme to explore possible criminal charges or civil action.
Before the Times revealed the extent of Democrat meddling in the race, the Justice Department asked a federal court to be prepared to delay certification of the election if the inclusion of the second Dan Sullivan confused voters and cost the incumbent the victory. The delay would allow for an investigation into whether voters were thrown off by the appearance of two Dan Sullivans on the ballot.
Democrats have performed well in some statewide elections in Alaska in recent years, in large part due to the ranked-choice voting system. Peltola won Alaska’s lone House seat in 2022 after two Republican candidates split a share of the vote and both failed to win a majority. Peltola secured the victory after the count went to a second round.
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