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Justice Department Opens Probe Into “Decoy Dan” Scheme

By Drooid · Oct 29, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

U.S. President Donald Trump called for Democratic Senate candidate Mary Peltola to quit the Alaska race and face prosecution.
Trump said the recruitment of Daniel J Sullivan was a Democratic voter-fraud scheme.
The Justice Department announced a criminal investigation into Sullivan’s ballot appearance, with subpoenas expected soon.
Former campaign manager Elisa Rios told the New York Times she knew of the “Decoy Dan” effort and said Peltola was not directly involved.

History

After the 2000 Florida recount—where Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified George W. Bush’s 537-vote win out of nearly six million ballots and the Supreme Court halted the process in Bush v. Gore (Dec 12, 2000)—election-law reforms tightened ballot rules. The DOJ’s current probe of Alaska attorney Daniel J. Sullivan’s “Decoy Dan” scheme echoes that precedent, raising fresh scrutiny of candidate-access standards.

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After the 2000 Florida recount—where Secretary of State Katherine Harris certified George W. Bush’s 537-vote win out of nearly six million ballots and the Supreme Court halted the process in Bush v. Gore (Dec 12, 2000)—election-law reforms tightened ballot rules. The DOJ’s current probe of Alaska attorney Daniel J. Sullivan’s “Decoy Dan” scheme echoes that precedent, raising fresh scrutiny of candidate-access standards.

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