The ‘real’ Dan Sullivan erupts at ‘secret scheme to trick’ voters in his Alaska Senate

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.

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.

Both Peltola’s campaign and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) have denied the 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.

‘And then… they’ve been lying for almost a year about it, and now they’re caught.’

He then accused Peltola of refusing to acknowledge the controversy and demanded that she answer questions about her campaign’s involvement.

‘Even today, she has not apologized,’ Sullivan said. ‘Even today, she’s kind of playing as if nothing happened.’

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

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.’

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.

Meanwhile, President Trump called the alleged scheme ‘voter fraud at the highest level’ as he rallied in support of Republicans in Ohio.

‘That’s what they’re good at – cheating,’ the president then added of 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.’

‘Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or fake Dan Sullivan on the ballot,’ he wrote. 

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. 

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.

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.