Republican Senator Dan Sullivan has condemned what he described as a “secret scheme to trick” Alaska voters after another candidate named Dan Sullivan appeared on the state’s ballot. President Donald Trump has labeled the episode “voter fraud at the highest level.”
The unusual development has transformed Alaska’s Senate contest into an increasingly strange fight for political control. Trump-backed incumbent Sullivan is facing former Representative Mary Peltola, as well as another candidate who shares his name.
Republicans have accused the second Dan Sullivan of being a liberal “plant” intended to siphon votes from the incumbent. They have nicknamed him “Decoy Dan.”
The New York Times reported that interviews, text messages and documents show members of Peltola’s campaign sought to recruit several people named Dan Sullivan—not just one—as part of an effort allegedly designed to improve her prospects in the election.
Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, or DSCC, have both rejected the allegations.
Speaking to Fox News on Wednesday night, however, Sullivan accused Peltola, her campaign staff and senior Democrats at the DSCC of orchestrating “a scheme, a secret scheme to trick Alaskan voters.”
“And then… they’ve been lying for almost a year about it, and now they’re caught,” he said.
Sullivan also accused Peltola of avoiding the controversy and called on her to address questions about whether her campaign played a role in recruiting candidates who shared his name.
“Even today, she has not apologized,” Sullivan said. “Even today, she’s kind of playing as if nothing happened.”
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan condemned what he called a “secret scheme to trick” Alaska voters after another candidate with the same name appeared on the ballot
A New York Times investigation reported that staffers working for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola sought out other people named Dan Sullivan in an alleged effort to strengthen her chances of victory
The Alaska senator further suggested that prominent Democrats in Washington, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, may have been connected to the alleged operation.
Asked whether he intended to pursue additional legal action, Sullivan said his immediate priority was campaigning and turning out voters. “The most important thing we can do is telling all Alaskans, do not be tricked,” he said.
Sullivan said he would remain on the campaign trail through Election Day while continuing to follow the legal developments. Federal prosecutors have said they are conducting an “aggressive criminal investigation” into how the second Dan Sullivan was placed on the ballot.
Trump echoed those accusations while campaigning for Republicans in Ohio, calling the alleged effort “voter fraud at the highest level.”
“That’s what they’re good at—cheating,” the president added, referring to Democrats.
Trump had previously called on Peltola to withdraw from the race and demanded that she and the Democratic Party “be prosecuted.”
In a post on Truth Social, Trump also argued that Peltola should “suffer the legal and political consequences for what she has done, a fraud on the American public.”
“Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot,” he wrote.
President Donald Trump described the alleged Alaska ballot scheme as “voter fraud at the highest level” while campaigning for Republicans in Ohio
This combination photo shows Trump-backed Republican Sen Dan Sullivan, left, in Palmer, Alaska, on August 17, 2026, and another candidate in Alaska’s Senate race named Dan Sullivan
A sample election ballot is displayed in Anchorage, Alaska, showing both of the Dan Sullivan candidates
As part of the alleged scheme, a staffer for Peltola was instructed to find as many people with the name Dan Sullivan as possible, the Times reported.
By the spring, a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village announced that he would run for Senate under the name Dan Sullivan.
The only difference between the two Sullivans is their middle name initials. The ‘real’ Dan Sullivan as Trump calls the incumbent goes by Dan S Sullivan, while ‘Decoy’ Dan’s full name is Dan J Sullivan.
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The project ran under the title Ballot Composition Project and included a ‘mysterious Midwestern operative,’ who traveled across the Last Frontier to recruit people by drinking with them in pubs.
Lawyers from the Peltola campaign and senior staffers from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) were reportedly part of the scheme as well.
The investigation further uncovered that the Democrats even considered establishing a new political party to swing Republican voters.
But a spokesperson for the Peltola campaign denied the allegations in a statement to The Hill.
‘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 DC politician will keep her away from that fight,’ the spokesperson said, adding: ‘The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign.’
The DSCC said in a separate statement they had ‘no involvement’ in the effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
The ‘decoy’ Dan Sullivan announced his candidacy in the spring. He is pictured in July
The ‘decoy’s’ campaign website is pictured, referring to him as a Republican US Senate candidate
Meanwhile, Trump has ordered the Justice Department to sue Alaska in an extraordinary bid to block certification of its Senate election results if the incumbent loses.
Peltola and Sullivan are in a tight race, according to a Data for Progress poll conducted October 8-16, with Peltola leading Sullivan 51 percent to 49 percent.
The stunning new report might change the verdict in Sullivan’s favor and is the latest major blow for Peltola, who had to deal with another setback last Sunday.
The Democrat and her family were injured in a car crash overnight, derailing her midterms campaign yet again.
On the same day, the Daily Mail just reported about the politician’s tragic past, as she lost both her own mother and her husband within four months in 2023.
Peltola’s campaign has denied any involvement in the alleged scheme
In an effort to further boost Senator Sullivan’s re-election chances earlier this month, Trump once again promised $5,000 to every adult American – but provided one caveat as he stumped in the 49th state.
During his speech, Trump said he is ‘going to give all adult citizens in the United States $5,000’ if the Republicans hold both chambers of Congress in November.
‘You got to spend it in the United States of America,’ the president added. ‘I don’t want you going to China.’
The promise came as the skyrocketing cost of living in the Last Frontier has become a central issue in the bizarre battle.
In late August, a store in the village of Shungnak in Alaska’s Northwest made headlines after revealing an eye-popping price of $26.82 per gallon of regular gas.
‘Just yesterday, the price was $13.99, but now it is $26.82,’ Douglas told the Alaska Beacon.
Earlier this month, Peltola published images from a rural Alaska grocery store where 12 rolls of paper towels were sold for as much as $40.99 and a set of paper plates for $53.99.
Fish, of all things, could also determine this race’s outcome. Peltola has anchored her campaign around the slogan ‘Fish, Family, Freedom’ – as fisheries have become a hot-button issue in the state.
The Native American grew up fishing salmon with her father and plans to ban large out-of-state trawlers. She also wants stronger financial safety nets for local fishermen.
Sullivan focuses on blocking unregulated foreign seafood fleets from Alaska waters and US markets.