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Peltola Denies Involvement in 'Decoy Dan' Scheme
Confirmed
In Short: Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied any involvement in a scheme to recruit another candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, a move that has drawn scrutiny from the US Department of Justice and Republicans.
Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola has denied any involvement in a scheme to recruit another candidate named Dan Sullivan to run against Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan, a move that has drawn scrutiny from the US Department of Justice and Republicans. Peltola's campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital, 'Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any politician will keep her away from that fight. The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.'
The New York Times reported that Peltola's campaign was involved in efforts to place a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan on the ballot, in a bid to confuse voters in a race that could determine which party controls the chamber. The newspaper obtained text messages between members of Peltola’s campaign discussing recruiting other people with the same name as the two-term Republican she was running against.
The controversy has escalated with the US Department of Justice filing a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the Alaska Senate race if the Republican incumbent loses to Peltola. The lawsuit was filed after a New York Times report detailed an alleged Democrat-linked election scheme by the campaign team of Rep. Mary Peltola that involved the recruitment of a candidate with nearly the exact same name as an incumbent GOP senator.
Peltola addressed the allegations in a speech at a bar in Juneau, Alaska, saying she wanted to 'clear the air.' She told the audience, 'They can't win on their record so they're trying to intimidate me into backing down. This is just another distraction as they avoid answering for the skyrocketing cost of living we're facing because of their tariffs and forever wars. It won't work.'
The Republican governor of Alaska, Mike Dunleavy, ordered a probe into the matter after a New York Times report detailed an alleged effort involving people connected to Peltola's campaign and national Democrats. The Alaska Department of Public Safety was directed to investigate, and the Alaska Division of Elections had already examined similar concerns, with findings that 'substantially support' the earlier investigation.
As of Monday, 46,204 ballots had been cast in Alaska, according to AP data. The race has seen two men named Dan Sullivan running for the open Senate seat for some time, with preliminary results indicating little confusion among Alaska voters — most of Dan J. Sullivan's supporters were aware of the situation.
President Donald Trump called for the criminal prosecution of Peltola after revelations that her campaign appeared to be involved in recruiting a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan. Both ads 'Tell Dan Sullivan: Stop Raising Our Costs,' with the same footage, graphics, and call-to-action phone number (202-224-3004), have been used in the campaign.
Peltola and her family suffered minor injuries in a car crash while driving to a campaign stop on Saturday. Her campaign manager, Cheryl Bruce, wrote in a statement that the candidate was in 'good spirits' following the accident, but her medical providers recommended she reschedule events Sunday and Monday to recover.
What this adds
The facts add that the New York Times report detailed an alleged Democrat-linked election scheme by the campaign team of Rep. Mary Peltola that involved the recruitment of a candidate with nearly the exact same name as an incumbent GOP senator. The report also revealed that the Democratic campaign for Alaska's U.S. Senate seat was involved in efforts to place on the ballot a candidate with the same name as Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in a bid to confuse voters.
What's confirmed
- The newspaper obtained text messages between members of Democrat Mary Peltola’s campaign discussing recruiting other people with the same name as the two-term Republican their candidate was running against.
- As of Monday, 46,204 ballots had been cast in Alaska, according to AP data.
- Peltola is running against Sen. Dan Sullivan.
- In a statement to Fox News Digital on Thursday, a Peltola campaign spokesperson said, "Mary got in this race because Alaskans deserve a champion who is fighting to lower their costs and put Alaska first, and no tweet or threat from any politician will keep her away from that fight. The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign."
What's still developing
- Pulling COVID-19 vaccines off the market, decreasing medications for children, cleaning up water, and putting fresh food in schools are all “pro-life issues,” according to Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn.
- October 26, 2026 by James Brooks, Alaska Beacon An official with the Anchorage Police Department said Monday that there is no evidence that Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mary Peltola was deliberately targeted in a weekend car accident that injured her and members of her family.
- “There is nothing new to share and at this time, there are no indications that this was a targeted attack,” said Gina Romero, director of the department’s community relations unit.