Alaska Voter Realizes He May Have Voted for the Wrong Dan Sullivan

One Alaska voter fears he may have been caught up in the so-called “Decoy Dan” controversy during the state’s razor-close Senate contest.

The race has drawn unusual national attention after reports emerged that Daniel J. Sullivan, a Republican with a name almost identical to that of incumbent Daniel S. Sullivan, could be running as a spoiler candidate in an effort to divide support for the GOP nominee.

The confusion was clear when one voter spoke with News Nation after casting his ballot and expressed uncertainty over the two candidates with nearly matching names.

“I just might be having a brain freeze, but I don’t remember the second Dan Sullivan,” Greg Martone said.

Martone acknowledged that he might have selected the “Decoy” Dan rather than the Republican senator seeking reelection.

“There is a slight possibility I voted for the wrong Dan Sullivan. I mean, there is a slight possibility — I’m hoping I’m just kind of getting paranoid,” he said with a nervous laugh.

“Now I want to look at a sample ballot to see what position he’s in, because I’m hoping I — well, yeah.”

Another voter interviewed while casting a ballot defended the presence of the second Sullivan on the ballot.

“This is something that both parties do, so in my opinion it’s much ado about nothing,” the voter said.

A federal judge on Sunday rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to block the certification of Alaska’s Senate election results before they were finalized.

The ruling represented a significant setback for the administration just two days before the November 3 midterm elections.

The Justice Department had claimed that Daniel J. Sullivan, whom the Trump administration labeled “Decoy Dan,” entered the contest as a “frivolous candidate” intended to confuse voters.

“Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,” the department said in its filing.

US District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled, however, that the Trump administration did not have standing to bring the case. The lawsuit sought to require Alaska to separate the ballots if Republican Senator Dan S. Sullivan lost his reelection campaign to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.

The Justice Department has appealed the decision, although it remained uncertain whether the challenge could lead to significant action before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.

In its lawsuit, the Justice Department argued that the second Sullivan’s campaign was designed to “dupe Alaska’s voters into believing that he is Senator Sullivan.” It asked the court to set those ballots aside if Peltola won. Judge Gleason said Sunday, however, that doing so would be impossible without violating voters’ privacy rights and the secrecy of the ballot.

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The DOJ, she said, offered ‘no workable plan’ as to how the government might segregate the ballots in question without violating voters’ fundamental privacy protections.

‘The absence of any explanation from the United States as to how its requested relief could redress its alleged injury while simultaneously maintaining the secrecy of the ballot is telling,’ Gleason said. 

‘Simply, the Court cannot grant the United States the relief it seeks.’ 

The ruling comes as Sullivan and Peltola are currently locked in a tight race, which the Cook Political Report has ranked as a ‘toss-up.’ 

The results could also tilt the balance of power in Democrats’ favor in the Senate, should Peltola edge out Sullivan in his reelection bid.    

Gleason denied the Trump administration from further amending its complaint to the court, noting that doing so would be futile and burdensome for election officials in the Alaska with just two days before the November 3 elections. 

She also noted that any additional scrutiny into the ballots could discourage voters from participating in elections.

The dismissal is the latest in a series of high-profile defeats the Trump administration has seen as it has tried and failed to assert more federal control in the midterm elections.

These efforts have touched off a torrent of lawsuits from state and local election officials, who argue that the efforts illegally infringe on states’ rights, including their right to administer elections under the Voting Rights Act and the US Constitution. 

But it’s not the only effort the Trump administration has launched in Alaska in a bid to investigate the so-called ‘Decoy Dan.’ 

Last month, the Justice Department separately launched a criminal investigation into the campaign of the ‘second’ Dan Sullivan.

The extent of that probe is unclear, though it is believed to hinge in part on allegations of conspiracy under a Voting Rights Act-era law.

Peltola’s campaign and the national Democratic Party denied any connection to Daniel J Sullivan’s candidacy.

The White House directed the Daily Mail to the DOJ for comment.