Alleged Illegal Coordination in Alaska’s Senate Race

Retired teacher Daniel J. Sullivan of Petersburg entered the Alaska Senate primary on May 29, registering as a Republican and adopting the nickname “Decoy Dan.” He challenged incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan (R-Alaska) in a race that also features former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, who is leading the incumbent by a narrow margin in national polling aggregates. Sullivan’s campaign has been described by GOP strategists as a “bad-faith” effort to confuse voters because of the identical name.

New York Post

• The 907 Initiative, a left-leaning government-transparency group, has spent roughly $1.5 million on advertisements opposing Sen. Sullivan during the current election cycle.

Daily Wire

• $575,000 of that spending occurred in the final 90 days of the primary, according to the complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Daily Wire

• Sullivan’s campaign reportedly owes $4,380.41 to Amber Lee Strategies for political consulting services.

New York Post

• In the jungle primary, Peltola received 49 % of the vote, Sen. Sullivan 41.4 %, and “Decoy Dan” 5 %.

New York Post

Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of the watchdog group Americans for Public Trust, said the arrangement “violates federal election law” because an individual cannot simultaneously assist a campaign and serve on the board of an outside group running ads that benefit that campaign.

Daily Wire

• “Sometimes when individuals do engage in schemes, it can be a little bit difficult to see what is happening. This is just a very clear example of coordination,” — Caitlin Sutherland, the executive director of watchdog group Americans for Public Trust

New York Post

The complaint urges the FEC to investigate whether the coordination between “Decoy Dan” and the 907 Initiative breached election statutes, adding another layer of scrutiny to an already competitive Senate contest.

New York Post