Dozens of letters have been sent to Democrats informing them that they are targets of a widening criminal investigation into the 'Decoy Dan' scandal rocking the Alaska Senate race, sources say.
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sources → send → race
Around 20 letters were sent on Election Day Tuesday to a number of top Democrats and attorneys, insiders told The New York Times.
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insiders → send → Times
Democrats in the state have been accused of recruiting a similarly named candidate to run against GOP Senator Dan Sullivan, allegedly intending to confuse voters and help Democratic nominee Mary Peltola.
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Democrats → accuse → Peltola
The outlet reported the recipients of the letters included prominent election lawyer Marc Elias, and at least one official at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
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recipients → report → Committee
The letters said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating possible donor fraud and conspiracy charges, sources said.
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sources → say → fraud
It comes after Alaska's Republican Governor Mike Dunleavy ordered an investigation into Peltola's Senate campaign over the alleged decoy plot.
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Dunleavy → come → plot
Alaska has traditionally been a conservative stronghold, but polls show the state may be set to elect its first Democrat to the senate since 2008 as Peltola has drawn Sullivan into a tight race.
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Peltola → show → race
With control of the senate potentially hinging on the Alaska race, one voter was seen displaying visible frustration on Monday as he realized he may have been tricked by the 'decoy' scheme.
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he → hinge → scheme
Dozens of letters have been sent to Democrats informing them that they are targets of a widening criminal investigation into the 'Decoy Dan' scandal rocking the Alaska Senate race, sources say.
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sources → send → race
Democrats in the state have been accused of recruiting a similarly named candidate to run against GOP Senator Dan Sullivan
Footage of that voter, Greg Martone, showed the Alaska resident realize he could not remember if he voted for incumbent Senator Dan S Sullivan, or 'spoiler candidate' Daniel J Sullivan.
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he → accuse → Sullivan
'I just might be having a brain freeze, but I don't remember the second Dan Sullivan,' Martone told NewsNation after he cast his vote.
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he → have → vote
He said he believes he may have cast his vote for the 'Decoy' Dan instead of the Republican nominee.
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he → say → Decoy
'There is a slight possibility I voted for the wrong Dan Sullivan.
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I → be → Sullivan
I mean there is a slight possibility — I'm hoping I'm just kinda getting paranoid,' he said, with an anxious chuckle.
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he → mean → chuckle
'Now I want to look at a sample ballot to see what position he's in, because I'm hoping I — well, yeah.'
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I → want → position
Peltola has denied allegations that her campaign carried out the scheme, telling supporters she is 'not interested in tricking voters, I know I can beat Dan Sullivan.'
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 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
A federal judge on Sunday dismissed the Trump administration's effort to preemptively block the certification of Alaska's Senate election results.
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judge → deny → results
The massive blow to Trump's effort came two days before the November 3 midterm elections.
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blow → come → elections
The Justice Department had argued that Daniel J Sullivan, whom the Trump administration has dubbed 'Decoy Dan,' entered the race as a 'frivolous candidate to confuse voters.
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administration → argue → voters
'
'Alaskan voters deserve a fair election, not to be misled in an attempt to rig outcomes,' the DOJ had stated.
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DOJ → deserve → outcomes
But US District Judge Sharon Gleason ruled that the Trump administration lacked standing in the lawsuit, which sought to force Alaska to segregate its ballots in the event that US Senator Dan S Sullivan, a Republican, lost his reelection bid to Democratic candidate Mary Peltola.
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Sullivan → rule → Peltola
The DOJ is now appealing the ruling, but it's unclear that any major action will be taken before Election Day on Tuesday, November 3.
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action → appeal → Tuesday
The Justice Department argued in its lawsuit that the second Sullivan's campaign is an attempt to 'dupe Alaska’s voters into believing that he is Senator Sullivan,' and asked the court to segregate ballots if Peltola won.
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Peltola → argue → ballots
But Gleason said Sunday that there was no way to do so without violating voters' right to privacy and the secrecy of the ballot.
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Gleason → say → ballot
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.
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government → say → 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.
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Gleason → request → ballot
'Simply, the Court cannot grant the United States the relief it seeks.'
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it → grant → relief
The Aporia
