Peltola Dodges Direct Denial on 'Decoy Dan' Scheme Amidst Scandal

Alaska Senate hopeful Mary Peltola has not issued a clear denial regarding her campaign's alleged involvement in a strategy to recruit a third candidate named Dan Sullivan into the state's Senate race, a move reportedly intended to confuse voters. The controversy has led to a staff overhaul within Peltola's campaign and prompted an investigation by Alaska's governor.

Peltola, who is challenging incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, publicly criticized the press coverage of the "Decoy Dan" scheme during a campaign event in Soldotna. "This is just another distraction. It’s another diversion. Every day it’s some new, you know, look over here moment," she stated. "This is all stuff to sell newspapers. This is all stuff to get subscriptions. Nobody at the New York Times cares about affordability in Alaska."

The New York Times reported that Peltola's team was behind the recruitment of Dan J. Sullivan, a retired public school teacher who ran as a Republican but had previously voted for Democrats. The report cited over a dozen sources and reviewed text messages indicating Peltola's awareness of the recruitment effort, though her former campaign manager, Elisa Rios, stated Peltola was not directly involved but "definitely aware." Rios was among the staff members let go during an August overhaul.

Peltola's campaign previously issued a statement saying, "The Alaskans for Mary campaign has no involvement with either Sullivan campaign. Like Mary, our campaign is focused on lowering costs and fixing the rigged system in DC." However, questions remain about the campaign's prior involvement, especially since its statement of organization was filed in January, after many of the key recruitment developments allegedly occurred.

Republicans have seized on the controversy, resurfacing an old video of Peltola asserting that "it should be a criminal offense to lie or mislead the electorate."

Following the revelations, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced he is initiating a criminal investigation into the matter. The Justice Department is also reportedly intensifying its probe into whether Democrats attempted to mislead voters in the race.

In a related action, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit seeking to block the certification of the election results if Sen. Sullivan were to lose, citing concerns that his defeat might be unfair due to the presence of "Decoy Dan" on the ballot.

Peltola currently holds a narrow lead over Sen. Sullivan in polling. The election, scheduled for November 3, will feature a four-candidate race decided by ranked-choice voting.