Republican Senator Dan Sullivan lashed out at what he said was a 'secret scheme to trick' voters after a candidate with the same name was placed on the ballot in Alaska in what President Donald Trump called 'voter fraud at the highest level.'
The Last Frontier's Senate race, in which Trump-backed incumbent Sullivan is running against former Rep Mary Peltola and another Dan Sullivan, has become a bizarre battleground for political power.
Republicans have complained the doppelganger is a liberal plant and have dubbed him 'Decoy Dan,' accusing him of trying to take votes away from the incumbent.
asserted
doppelganger → lash → incumbent
The New York Times has since found interviews, text messages and documents revealing that Peltola's team actively tried to recruit not only one but several fake Dan Sullivans in a large-scale effort to boost her chances of winning.
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team → find → chances
Both Peltola's campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have denied the allegations.
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campaign → deny → allegations
Still, the incumbent claimed on Fox News Wednesday night that 'Mary Peltola, her campaign team, senior DSCC Democrats had a scheme, a secret scheme to trick Alaskan voters.
'
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Peltola → claim → voters
And then... they've been lying for almost a year about it, and now they're caught.'
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they → lie → it
He then accused Peltola of refusing to acknowledge the controversy and demanded that she answer questions about her campaign's involvement.
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she → accuse → involvement
'Even today, she has not apologized,' Sullivan said.
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Sullivan → apologize → ?
'Even today, she's kind of playing as if nothing happened.'
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nothing → play → ?
Republican Senator Dan Sullivan lashed out at what he said was a 'secret scheme to trick' voters after a candidate with the same name was placed on the ballot in Alaska
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candidate → lash → Alaska
A New York Times investigation found that staffers on Sullivan's Democratic opponent Mary Peltola's campaign recruited other Dan Sullivans to run in the election in an effort to boost her chances at winning
The senator also suggested the alleged effort involved senior Democrats in Washington DC, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
But when asked whether he planned to take any additional legal action, Sullivan said his 'focus right now is campaigning and is getting out the vote and is making sure that the most important thing we can do is telling all Alaskans, do not be tricked.'
uncertain
we → find → Alaskans
He then said he would continue campaigning through Election Day, but will continue to monitor any legal developments surrounding the ballot controversy after federal prosecutors said they are conducting an 'aggressive criminal investigation' into how a second candidate also named Dan Sullivan got his name on the ballot.
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candidate → say → ballot
Meanwhile, President Trump called the alleged scheme 'voter fraud at the highest level' as he rallied in support of Republicans in Ohio.
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he → call → Ohio
'That's what they're good at - cheating,' the president then added of Democrats.
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president → add → Democrats
The president had earlier said Peltola should resign from the race, and demanded that both she and the Democratic Party 'be prosecuted.'
In a Truth Social post, Trump also claimed Peltola should 'suffer the legal and political consequences for what she has done, a fraud on the American public.
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she → say → public
'
'Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot,' he wrote.
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he → allow → ballot
President Donald Trump called the alleged scheme 'voter fraud at the highest level' as he rallied in support of 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.
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Times → call → name
By the spring, a retired teacher from a tiny fishing village announced that he would run for Senate under the name Dan Sullivan.
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he → announce → name
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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name → call → Sullivan
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.
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who → run → pubs
The investigation further uncovered that the Democrats even considered establishing a new political party to swing Republican voters.
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Democrats → uncover → 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.'
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campaign → deny → campaign
The DSCC said in a separate statement they had 'no involvement' in the effort to put a second Dan Sullivan on the ballot.
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they → say → ballot
The 'decoy' Dan Sullivan announced his candidacy in the spring.
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decoy → announce → 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.
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incumbent → picture → results
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.
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Peltola → accord → Sullivan
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.
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who → change → setback
The Democrat and her family were injured in a car crash overnight, derailing her midterms campaign yet again.
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Democrat → injure → campaign
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.
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she → report → 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.
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he → deny → 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.
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Republicans → say → November
'You got to spend it in the United States of America,' the president added.
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president → got → America
'I don't want you going to China.'
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you → want → China
The promise came as the skyrocketing cost of living in the Last Frontier has become a central issue in the bizarre battle.
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cost → come → 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.
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store → make → gas
'Just yesterday, the price was $13.99, but now it is $26.82,' Douglas told the Alaska Beacon.
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Douglas → tell → 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.
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rolls → publish → 53.99
Fish, of all things, could also determine this race’s outcome.
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Fish → determine → outcome
Peltola has anchored her campaign around the slogan ‘Fish, Family, Freedom’ – as fisheries have become a hot-button issue in the state.
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fisheries → anchor → state
The Native American grew up fishing salmon with her father and plans to ban large out-of-state trawlers.
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American → grow → trawlers
She also wants stronger financial safety nets for local fishermen.
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She → want → fishermen
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
